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FRANK WAS LIFTED BY MAIN FORCE AND PLACED IN IT. Page' 228 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 
FLIGHT FOR A 
FORTUNE 


BY 

CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON^w.®--'' 

AUTHOR OF “the BOY AVIATORS,” 

“dreadnought boys,” etc. 

O / ' ■ ^ 


ILLUSTRATED BY 
CHARLES L. WRENN 


NEW YORK 

HURST & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright, 1912, 

BV 

HURST & COMPANY 


V- g CU3164G9 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. On Brig Island ...... 5 

II. The Wireless ...... 22 

III. A Night Alarm 36 

IV. Cut Adrift . . * 45 

V. Adventures on the Hulk ... 56 

iVI. Harry Meets an Old Friend '. . 66 

VII. A Puzzling Problem .... 80 

VIII. The Derelict Destroyer ... 89 

IX. The Flight of the ‘'Sea Eagle"" . 97 

X. “C Q. D.r 1 12 

XI. “Good Luck!” 12 1 

XII. Through the Night .... 129 

XIII. A Twentieth-Century Rescue . 137 

XIV. Ben"s Plan Stolen 148 

XV. What Happened Ashore . . . 158 


3 


4 

CHAPTER 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


XVI. 

Off on the “Air Route’' 



170 

XVII. 

An Aerial Ambulance . 



180 

XVIII. 

An Errand of Mercy . 



189 

XIX. 

Plumbo Found Wanting 



. 199 

XX. 

Frank's Battle . 




XXL 

A Rascally Trick . 




XXII. 

Reunited ! .... 



. 230 

XXIII. 

Off Once More . 



. 237 

XXIV. 

A Struggle for Life 

i*; 


c. 246 

XXV. 

A Race to Cloudland . 



. 253 

XXVI. 

The Boy Aviators' Pluck 



. 264 

XXVII. 

Captured by Aeroplane 



• 275 


The Boy Aviators’ Flight 
for a Fortune 

CHAPTER I. 

ON BRIG ISLAND. 

The sharp bow of Zenas Daniels’ green and 
red dory grazed the yellow beach on the west 
shore of Brig Island, a wooded patch of land 
lying about a mile off the Maine Shore in the 
vicinity of Casco Bay. His son Zeb, a lumber- 
ing, uncouth-looking lad of about eighteen, with 
a pronounced squint, leaped from the craft as it 
was beached, and seized hold of the frayed 
painter preparatory to dragging her farther up 
the beach. 

In the meantime Zenas himself, brown and 
hatchetlike of face, and lean of figure — with a 
tuft of gray whisker on his sharp chin, like an 


5 


6 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


old-fashioned knocker on a mahogany door — 
gathered up a pile of lobster pots from the stern 
of the dory and shouldered them. A few lay 
loose, and those he flung out on the beach. 

These last Zeb gathered, up, and as his father 
stepped out of the dory the pair began trudging 
up the steeply sloping beach, toward the woods 
which rimmed the islet almost to the water’s 
edge. All this, seemingly, in defiance of a star- 
ing sign which faced them, for on it was printed 
in letters visible quite a distance off : 

PRIVATE PROPERTY. 

No TRESPASSING! 

Instead, however, of checking the fisherman, 
it caused old Zenas to break into a harsh laugh 
as his deep-set, wrinkle-surrounded eyes dwelt 
for an instant on the inscription. His jaw 
seemed to set with a snap, and his thin lips 
formed a narrow, hairlike line as a second later 
he saw something else. This was a stout wire 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 7 

fence, clearly of recent construction, which ex- 
tended along the edge of the woods. Apparently 
it must have encircled the island, for it ran as 
far as eye could see in either direction. 

“Waal, ril be dummed-gosh dummed!’’ 
snorted Zenas, his thin nostrils dilating angrily. 

“Put up a fence now, have they?” he con- 
tinued. “Waal, if thet ain't ther beatingest! A 
passel of city kids ter come hyar and think they 
kin run things in Casco Bay!” 

“I reckon thet fence ain’t goin’ ter hinder us 
powerful much, dad.” 

“Waal, I swan not. Come on, Zeb, look lively 
with them pots; we’ve got ter git across ther 
island an’ back ez slippy ez we kin.” 

But as father and son resumed their journey, 
the thick brush suddenly parted and down a nar- 
row path a boyish figure came suddenly into 
view. The newcomer was a tall, muscular 
youth, with a face tanned to a healthy brown by 
constant outdoor life. His clean-cut figure and 
frank, open countenance formed a striking con- 


8 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


trast to Zenas’ crabbed features and the shifty 
look of his son. 

“Where do you intend going demanded the 
boy, as he halted a few paces on the opposite 
side of the fence. 

“You know waal enough, Frank Chester, or 
whatever yer name is,^’ growled out Zenas, 
“we’re goin’ across ther Island ter stow our 
lobster pots, just as weVe bin a-doin’ fer years.” 

“Fm very sorry. I don’t want to seem un- 
fair, but, as I explained to you the other day, 
this island is now private property. It was rented 
from Mr. Dunning of Portland on the express 
condition that we were not to be interfered 
with.” 

“Land o’ Goshen! So ye think yer kin come 
hyar an’ run things ter suit yerselves, do yer?” 

“We rented the island for that purpose. As 
I said before, we are all very sorry if it inter- 
feres with your convenience; but there’s Woody 
Island half a mile below, and closer in to Mott- 
haven, too, why won’t that suit you as well?” 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 9 

’Cos it won’t. Thet’s why. Brig Island’s bin 
here a sight longer than you er I, and it’s goin’ 
ter stay hyar arter we’re gone, too.” 

'‘I don’t quite see what that has to do with it.” 

“Waal, I do. We ain’t used ter bein’ dictated 
to by a passel of kids. I’ve bin usin’ this island 
fer ten years or more. It suits me first rate, and 
I propose ter go on using it, and ther ain’t no 
kids kin stop me,” spoke Zenas stubbornly. 

“Well, we shan’t keep you from it for more 
than a few weeks at most — at least I hope so,” 
rejoined Frank, with perfect good nature, “after 
that, although we have leased it for a year, we 
shall be glad to have you use it in any way you 
like.” 

“I want ter use it right now, I tell yer.” 

“Well, you can’t!” 

Frank’s control of himself was beginning to 
ooze away in the face of such mule-like obsti- 
nacy. 

“Kain’t, eh? We’ll see. You’re alone on the 
island ter-day, I seen ther other kids go ashore 


10 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


this niornin'. Come on, Zeb, climb over thet 
fence/' 

“Thet’s right, dad," applauded Zeb, ''ef he 
gives yer any sass jes' hit him a clip in ther jaw. 
Reckon that 'ull stop him fer a while." 

As his son spoke Zenas made as if to lay his 
hand on the top wire of the fence preparatory 
to scaling it. Frank Chester stepped hastily for- 
ward. 

“Don’t try to climb that fence!" he warned. 
His tone was so earnest that, involuntarily, Ze- 
nas checked himself. 

“Why not?" he demanded. 

“Because if you do you are going to get hurt. 
I give you fair warning." 

“Shucks! ez if a kid could bother me. Come 
on, Zeb." 

As he called to his son, Zenas clapped his hand 
on the top wire. Zeb, with a contemptuous grim- 
ace at Frank, did the same. 

“We’ll show yer " Zeb was beginning, 

when a singular thing happened. 


1 




1 






FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 11 

Zenas, with a yell, sprang into the air and, 
tripping as he came down, alighted in a sprawl- 
ing heap among the freshly-tarred lobster pots. 
His gray goatee wagged savagely as he lay there 
impotently clenching his fists, alternating this 
performance by vigorously rubbing his elbows. 
In the meantime his son, giving vent to a no less 
piercing cry, had executed a backward bound 
from the fence with as much velocity as if he 
had been a rubber ball. 

''Ouch! What in ther name of time hit usT' 
he demanded. 

"Dear land o’ Goshen! What was thet?” 
shouted his parent. 

Frank had some difficulty in steadying his 
voice to reply. The sight of the two lately mili- 
tant figures sprawling there on the beach was 
too much for his gravity. 

''That/' he managed to gasp out at length, 
"that was a mild current of electricity running 
through those wires. You recollect I warned you 
not to touch them.” 


12 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


“You — you — you young villain!^’ roared Ze- 
nas, springing to his feet with great agility for 
one of his years, “Fll have ther law on yer !” 

“Consarn you, yes echoed Zeb, “assault and 
battery 

“No, not batteries — a dynamo,” Frank could 
not resist saying. “If you think of going to law 
over it,” he added, more seriously, “please recol- 
lect that I warned you not to touch those wires. 
Furthermore, you were defiantly trespassing on 
private property, although you could see that 
sign from quite a distance out on the water.” 

The elder Daniels’ face was a study at this. 
But his son continued to bellow angrily. 

“You may hev injured dad and me fer life!” 
he shouted. 

“Oh, no; on the contrary, a mild shock of elec- 
tricity is a fine thing for the system. But,” and 
Frank smiled, “don’t take an overdose.” 

“Oh, y’er laughin’ at us, are yer? Waal, may- 
be ther laugh ’ull be on the other side of yer 
face nex’ time we meet.” 


FLIGHT FOli A FORTUNE 13 

All this time the elder Daniels had remained 
silent, gathering up his scattered lobster pots. 
Evidently he did not meditate a second assault 
on the fence. Now he turned the overboiling 
vials of his wrath on his son. 

'Tick up them pots, consarn ye!’' he rumbled 
throatily, "and git out ’er this.” 

Zeb obeyed, and then, with what dignity they 
could muster, the two shuffled back down the 
beach to their dory. Then they shoved oflf and 
began pulling for Woody Island. Frank Ches- 
ter watched them in silence. But they did not 
look his way once during the swift row. When 
they landed on the distant islet, he saw Zeb turn 
and shake his fist in the direction of Brig Island 
with vicious emphasis. The elder fisherman, 
however, simply strode off along the beach of 
the adjacent island without turning. 

"Well, the fence certainly served its purpose,” 
said Frank to himself, as he turned away; "it 
proved as effectual as it did that night we used 
the same sort of contrivance to put to rout the 


14 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


rascals who wanted to wreck the old Golden 
Eagle. Sorry I had to give those fellows such a 
severe lesson, though. They liked us little 
enough before. They’ll have still less use for us 
now.” 

He was about to retrace his steps up the path 
when his attention was arrested by a sudden 
sound — the sharp “put-put-put !” of a motor boat. 

“I’ll bet that’s Harry, Billy and Pudge com- 
ing now!” he exclaimed. “I’ll go round to the 
hulk and meet them.” 

So saying, he started off along the beach. In 
a few seconds he rounded a wooded promontory 
and passed out of sight. Right here, perhaps, is 
a good place to give those readers who have not 
already formed their acquaintance, some further 
idea of who Frank Chester and his companions 
are, and how the quartet came to be on Brig Is- 
land, off the coast of Maine, in the island-dotted 
Casco Bay region. 

The first volume of this series related the ad- 
ventures of Frank and Harry Chester, two 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


15 


bright, inventive New York lads of seventeen and 
sixteen, in the turbulent Central American Re- 
public of Nicaragua. In this book was set down 
the part that their aeroplane. The Golden Eagle, 
played in the drama of revolution, and followed 
also the tempestuous career of their chum Billy 
Barnes, a young reporter whom they met in the 
tropics. Mr. Chester, a New York man of af- 
fairs, owned a plantation in Nicaragua, and the 
boys and their aeroplane were the means of sav- 
ing this from the depredations of the revolu- 
tionaries. But in an electric storm in which she 
was driven out to sea the Golden Eagle was lost. 
By means of the wireless apparatus with which 
she was equipped, the lads, however, managed to 
communicate with a steamer which picked them 
up and saved their lives. 

In The Boy Aviators on Secret Service, the 
second volume of the Boy Aviators’ series, we 
find them in the mysterious region of the Ever- 
glades. Once again they demonstrated — this 
time for Uncle Sam — the almost limitless pos- 


16 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

sibilities of the two greatest inventions of mod- 
ern times — the aeroplane and wireless teleg- 
raphy. In this book we related how the secret 
explosive factory was located and put out of 
commission, and what dangers and difficulties 
surrounded the boys during the process. 

Not long after this a strange combination of 
circumstances resulted in the boys taking a voy- 
age to Africa. In The Boy Aviators In Africa 
you may read how they discovered the ivory 
hoard in the Moon Mountains, and how the 
Arab slave trader, who had cause to fear them, 
made all sorts of trouble for them. The first 
aeroplane to soar above the trackless forests of 
the Dark Continent conveyed them safely out 
of their dilemmas, and indirectly was the cause 
of their being able to voyage back to America 
on a fine yacht. 

The boys had figured on resting up after this, 
but the love of adventure that stirred in their 
blood, as well as their warm friendship for Billy 
Barnes, prompted them to take part in a cross- 


FLIGHT FOL A FOETUXE 17 

continent flight against great odds. The story of 
the contest, The Boy Aviators in Record Flight, 
related stirring incidents from coast to coast. 
Readers of that volume will readily summon to 
mind the ruse by which the lads escaped the cow- 
boys and baffled some renegade Indians and, 
finally, their fearful battle in midair with the 
sand storm. 

The story of an old Spanish galleon enthralled 
in the deadly grip of the Sargasso Sea furnished 
the inspiration for the tale of the Boy Aviators' 
Treasure Quest. But they were not alone on 
their hunt for the long-lost treasure trove. Lu- 
ther Barr, a bad old man who had caused them 
much trouble before, fitted out a rival expedi- 
tion. High above the vast ocean of Sargasso 
weed the boys had to fight for their lives with 
a crew of desperate men in a powerful dirigible 
craft. How they won out, and through what 
other adventures they passed — including the sur- 
prising one of the 'Vat ship," — you must read the 


18 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

volume to discover, as we have not space to de- 
tail all that befell them on that voyage. 

Then came what was, in many respects, their 
queerest voyage of all — the flight above the Ant- 
arctic fields of eternal ice, in search of the goal 
of discoverers of half a dozen nationalities, the 
South Pole. The Boy Aviators' Polar Dash was 
a volume full of swift action and enterprise. 
Many hardships were endured and dangers faced, 
but the boys did not flinch when duty required 
their best of them. They emerged from the 
frozen regions having achieved a signal triumph, 
but one which would not have been possible of 
accomplishment without their aeroplane. 

Having thus briefly sketched the previous ca- 
reers of the Boy Aviators, we shall give a short 
account of how they came to be on Brig Island, 
and then press on with our story. About a 
month before the present story opens then, a 
scientific friend of Mr. Chester's, Dr. Maxim 
Perkins, had called on the Boy Aviators' father 
and requested the aid of the young aerial in- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 19 

ventors in some problems that were bothering 
him. Dr. Perkins was already an aviator of 
some note, but his achievements had not found 
their way into the newspapers as, like most sci- 
entific men, he did not care for publicity in con- 
nection with his experiments. 

In common with the rest of the civilized world 
Dr. Perkins — horrified at a mid-ocean tragedy 
in which hundreds of lives were sacrificed — had 
set his wits to work to devise some means of 
life saving — in addition to the regular boat equip- 
ment — which might be easily carried by ocean 
liners. He was convinced that it would be feas- 
ible for vessels of that description to carry an 
auxiliary fleet of what he termed ‘'dirigible- 
hydro-aeroplanes.’’ By this rather clumsy name 
he meant a combination of the hydroplane, dir- 
igible and aeroplane. But although his ideas on 
the subject were clear enough in theory, he was 
rather hazy about the practical side of the mat- 
ter, and this was the object of his call on Mr. 


20 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

Chester — to ask the aid of the Boy Aviators in 
carrying out his experiments. 

To make a long story short, arrangements 
were finally completed by which the doctor had 
leased Brig Island, and had set up on it such 
sheds and appliances as would be needed by the 
boys in their work. These included a wireless, 
by means of which communication with the main- 
land might be kept up — via Portland — and also a 
unique piece of apparatus (if such it could be 
called) of which we shall learn in the next chap- 
ter. 

The boys had now spent two busy weeks on 
the island, and the work that they had mapped 
out for themselves was so nearly completed that 
they had felt justified that morning in wireless- 
ing Dr. Perkins to come and see how things 
were going on. As we have seen, their stay on 
the island had not been altogether tranquil. The 
spot had been used for years by the fishermen 
as a sort of stowage place for their apparatus, 
and also, sometimes, as a summer residence. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 21 

With the coming of the boys and their neces- 
sarily private work, all this had been changed, 
and the resentment of the fishermen had been 
bitter. Of all the complainers, Zenas and his 
son were the most aggressive, however, and 
had openly threatened to drive the boys off the 
island. 

To avoid being taken by surprise the lads had 
rigged up the electric fence, which device, as 
readers of The Boy Aviators on Secret Service 
will recall, had been used by them before with 
success to repel unwelcome visitors. 

Let us now rejoin Frank Chester as he goes 
to meet the approaching motor boat on which 
his brother Harry, Billy Barnes and Pudge Per- 
kins, the doctor’s son, had visited the mainland 
for provisions and mail that morning. 


22 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER II. 

THE) WIRELESS. 

As Frank rounded the point, the waves al- 
most lapping his feet as he edged along the rocky 
promontory, he came into full view of the 
adjunct to the little settlement which was men- 
tioned in the preceding chapter. This was noth- 
ing more nor less than the hulk of what had once 
been a fair-sized schooner. But her masts had 
vanished, and on her decks nothing now rose 
above the bulwarks but a towei:ing structure of 
sufficiently odd form to have set the wits of 
every man in Motthaven who had seen it at 
their keenest edge. 

This structure began about amidships, where 
it attained a height of some thirty feet. From 
thence its skeleton form sloped sharply down 
toward the stern of the dismantled hulk, much 
in the manner of the “Chute the Chutes'’ fa- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 23 

miliar to most lads throughout the land from 
their having seen them at amusement resorts. 
The old schooner — formerly rejoicing in the 
name of Betsy Jane — had been picked up for a 
song in Portland by the Boy Aviators, who saw 
in it exactly what they needed for a bit of ex- 
perimental apparatus. At their orders the in- 
clined '‘slide’' had been built, and when this was 
accomplished the craft had been towed into the 
cove, where it now lay anchored by a stout line, 
about 200 yards off shore. 

As Frank came into view of the black old hull, 
swinging on her mooring line on the turning tide, 
a "Hampton” motor boat came chugging round 
the Betsy Jane's stern. In it were three lads. 
The one in the bow handling the wheel is already 
familiar to our readers, who will at once recog- 
nize the cherubic, smiling features of the spec- 
tacled Billy Barnes. In the stern, tending to the 
engine — a 6 ve horse power one of the make-and- 
break type — was Harry Chester, Frank’s young- 
er brother, and standing amidships, waving 


24 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


cheerfully to Frank, was a youth best described 
as being “tubby'' of build, with round rosy 
cheeks and a most good-natured expression of 
countenance. 

This last lad was Ulysses — otherwise “Pudge" 
Perkins, the son of the aerial scientist who had 
sent the lads on their strange mission. 

“Batter and butterflies!" he shouted, as the 
boat drew closer and he spied Frank, “how are 
you, Frank? Get lonely without your chums?" 

“No; I rather enjoyed myself," laughed back 
Frank, shouting his words acrosstvthe water; 
“you see, while you were away I had some quiet, 
and a chance to work out a few problems." 

“Mumps and mathematics I" sputtered Pudge 
amiably, “you don’t mean to say I worry you, 
Frank?" 

By this time the motor boat had approached 
close to her mooring, at which swung a small 
boat of the dory type. The motor boat was 
speedily made fast, and the boyish occupants 
tumbled into the small boat and Harry rapidly 


FLIGHT FOE A FOETUNE 25 

sculled them ashore. Before leaving the motor 
boat some sacks of supplies had been thrown in, 
and the small craft was so heavily laden that 
Pudge had to be sternly warned to keep still on 
peril of swamping it. 

‘'Dories and dingbats! as if my sylphlike form 
could bother this staunch craft! Yo-ho! my 
lads, yo-ho! pull for the shore and don't bother 
about me." 

The beach was reached without catastrophe, 
and while Frank helped the others unload the 
supplies he told them of what had occurred dur- 
ing their absence. 

“After you left," he said, “I got busy figur- 
ing on that plane problem. All at once I heard 
voices, and by listening I soon recognized them 
as Zenas Daniels and that precious son of his. 
As I knew what ugly customers they were I 
turned the current into the fence and sauntered 
down toward the shore. Sure enough it was 
Zenas and Zeb and they tried to rush the fence." 


26 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

Frank then went on to tell of what had hap- 
pened. Shouts of laughter greeted his narrative. 

‘'Sugar and somersaults! But I'd have liked 
to see those chaps do a flip-flap," chuckled the 
rotund Pudge, hugging himself in his joy. 

“I guess Zenas must have learned that elec- 
tricity is good for the rheumatiz," laughed Billy 
Barnes gleefully; ‘T'd like to have had a picture 
of them when they hit the wire," he added, 
swinging his inevitable camera at the end of its 
carrying straps. 

“It would have been worth while," laughed 
Harry; “but come on, boys, let's get this stuff up 
to the hut. Anything to eat, Frank? I'm hungry 
enough to swallow one of old Zenas' lobster 
pots." 

“Sandwiches and sauerkraut I So am I," 

chimed in Pudge. 

“Great Scott!" cried Billy Barnes, “as if we 
didn't know that. If you told us you weren't 
hungry it would be something new." 

“Well, I don’t see where I've got anything on 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 27 

you when it comes to meal times/^ retorted the 
fat youth. 

‘‘Only about six inches more around the waist 
line/’ grinned Billy, dodging a blow from the 
fleshy youth’s fat but muscular arm. 

Shouldering the supplies, which consisted of 
such staples as bacon, flour, sugar, rice and so 
forth, the lads made their way up the beach, 
having first carried the dory’s anchor far up 
above highwater mark. They took their way 
along the electrically-charged fence till they came 
to a spot where there was a gate and a switch 
to break the connection. Frank turned off the 
switch, grounded the current, and opened the 
gate, through which they passed, and entered 
on a narrow path winding up among the rocks. 
When they had all gone through, Frank closed 
the gate, snapped on the switch again and the 
fence became as mischievous as before. 

In single file, headed by Harry, for Frank had 
now taken a rear place, they toiled up the steep 
path until, at the summit of the rocky little cliff, 


28 


THE BOY AVIATOKS* 


it plunged into the woods. Traversing these 
for a short distance, and always climbing up- 
ward, for the island converged to a point in the 
middle, they at length emerged on a clearing, 
evidently of nature's workmanship, for there 
was no trace of recently felled trees or other 
human work. 

The floor of this clearing was of rock, and of? 
at one side a clear spring bubbled cheerfully over 
into a barrel set so as to catch the overflow. In 
the center of the open space stood a small but 
substantially-built portable house — one of the 
sectional kind. This formed the living quarters 
of the young island dwellers. Above it rose, like 
gaunt, leafless trees, two iron poles set thirty 
feet apart and stayed by stout guy wires. Be- 
tween those two poles were suspended, by block 
and tackle, the aerials, or antennae, by which mes- 
sages were caught and sent. Within the hut was 
the rest of the wireless apparatus, which, with 
the exception of some improvements of Frank's 
devising, was of the portable kind — the same in 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 29 

fact that they had used in Florida. Outside the 
hut was a small shelter covering a four horse- 
power gasolene engine, which generated the 
power for the station. 

As most boys are familiar nowadays with the 
rudiments of wireless telegraphy we are not go- 
ing into technical details concerning the plant. 
Suffice it to say that the boys were able to con- 
verse with Portland, under favorable conditions, 
and judged that, in suitable weather, they had a 
radius of some two hundred and fifty miles. 

But it was off to one side of the clearing, the 
side nearest to the cove, that the most interest- 
ing structure on the island was situated. This 
was more of a covering than a shed, for it con- 
sisted merely of a roof supported with uprights ; 
but in bad weather canvas curtains could be 
drawn so as to make its interior stormproof. 

This shed was now open, and under the roof 
could be seen what was perhaps at the moment 
the most unique machine of its kind in the world. 
Looking into that shed you would have said at 


30 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

first that it housed a boat. For the first object 
that struck your eye was a double-ended, flat- 
bottomed craft of shimmering aluminum metal, 
about thirty feet in length and built on the gen- 
eral lines of one of our life-saving craft. That 
is to say, with ^Vhalebacks” at each end con- 
taining air chambers, and plenty of beam and 
room within the cockpit. A peculiar feature, 
however, was the addition of four wheels. 

But the boat theory would have had to be 
abandoned the next moment, for above the hull 
of the whaleboat- shaped craft was what appeared 
to be the understructure of an aeroplane. But 
the planes — the broad wings — themselves were 
lacking. The twin propellers connected to a mo- 
tor within the boat were, however, in place. Ap- 
parently they were driven by chains, similar to, 
but stouter than, the ordinary bicycle variety. 

All about was a litter of tools and implements 
of all kinds. Several large frames leaning 
against one side of the shed appeared to be the 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 31 

skeleton forms of the wings which were soon to 
be added to the superstructure. 

‘‘Tamales and terrapins!’' cried Pudge admir- 
ingly, as he^azed at the uncompleted craft, “but 
she begins to look like something, eh, Frank?” 

“Yes,” nodded the young aviator, “but until 
your father arrives we cannot adjust the wings. 
There is a lot of theoretical work connected with 
them that he will have to do. By the way, I 
wonder if Portland’s got any answer to our mes- 
sage yet?” 

Followed by the others, Frank entered the liv- 
ing hut, which proved to be a snug, neat com- 
partment about fifteen feet in length, by ten in 
width. It had four windows, two on a side, and 
a door at one end. At the other end was the 
wireless apparatus, with its glittering bright 
metal parts, and businesslike-looking condensers 
and tuning coils. Along the walls were four 
bunks, two on a side, one above the other. In 
the center were a table and camp chairs, and 
from the ceiling hung a large oil lamp. 


32 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


A shelf held a good collection of books on aero 
and wireless subjects, and at one side of the door 
was a blue-flame kerosene stove. On the other 
side of the door was a cupboard containing 
crockery, knives, forks and cooking utensils. 
Altogether, if the boys had not been there for a 
more serious purpose, the place might have been 
said to form an almost ideal camp for four 
healthy, active lads. 

‘^Start up the motor, Harry,'' said Frank, as 
soon as they had deposited their burdens, “and 
we'll try and get some track of Dr. Perkins. His 
answer to our message ought to be in Portland 
by now." 

The younger Chester lad hastened outside, and 
soon the popping of the motor announced that it 
was running. Frank sat down at the key and, 
depressing it, sent a blue-white flame crackling 
across the spark gap. Out into space, from the 
aerials stretched above, the message went volley- 
ing. It was the call of the Portland station that 
Frank was sending. He flashed it out three 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 33 

times, as is customary, and then signed it F-C., 
the latter being Brigg Island's agreed-upon sig- 
nature. Then, while the others gathered round, 
Frank adjusted the “phones," the delicate receiv- 
ers that clamp over the ear and through which, 
by way of the detector, any message vibrating in 
the air may be caught as it encounters the an- 
tenna. 

Frank listened some time but — save for the 
conversation of two wireless operators far out 
at sea — ^he could hear nothing. With a gesture of 
impatience Frank began adjusting his tuning 
coil. All at once he broke into a smile of satis- 
faction. At last Portland was answering: 
^‘F_C! F— C! F— C!" 

“All right," rejoined Frank, sending a volley 
of sparks crashing and flashing across the gap as 
soon as he could break in, “is there any answer 
to my message?" 

“Yes. Perkins will be at Motthaven to-mor- 
row night. He wants you to meet him," came 


34 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


back the answer, winging its way over the inter- 
vening miles of space. 

‘Is that all?^’ 

“That’s all.” 

Frank removed the “phones,” grounded his 
key and told Harry he could stop the motor. 

“Fll be glad when the doctor does get here,” 
he confided to the others, after he had communi- 
cated the message, “for I’m beginning to think 
that we are in for some sort of trouble. Those 
two Daniels are pretty influential in the village, 
and it only needs a word from them to turn the 
whole crowd against us.” 

“We could stand ’em off,” bragged Pudge 
grandiloquently, “lassoes and lobsters, we could 
stand ’em off. I half wish they would come — 
buttons and buttercakes, but I do!” and Pudge 
doubled up his fists and looked fierce. 

“You forget. Pudge,” said Frank, “that we are 
here in positions of responsibility. All this prop- 
erty is your father’s. It is our duty to see that 
no harm comes to it. A bunch of those fisher- 


FLIGHT Foil A FORTUNE 


35 


men inflamed by anger might be able to do more 
harm here in an hour than could be repaired in 
months, not to mention the cost.” 

‘‘Surely you don't think they'd come down to 
actual violence, Frank?” inquired Harry. 

“I don't know. The two Daniels looked mighty 
savage to-day, I can tell you. If it hadn't been 
for the electric fence they might have made trou- 
ble. At all events I'll be glad to have some ad- 
vice.” 


36 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER III. 

A NIGHT ATARM. 

After supper that night, a meal consisting of 
fried salt pork, boiled potatoes and some fresh 
fish which Frank had caught earlier in the day, 
the elder of the Chester lads called what he 
termed ''a conference,’’ although Billy Barnes de- 
clared it was more in the nature of a ‘‘council of 
war.” 

We are not going to detail here all that was 
said as it would make wearisome reading; but, 
after an hour or more of talk, Frank spoke his 
mind. 

“It may be all foolishness, of course,” he said, 
“but I think that we ought not to leave the is- 
land unguarded to-night. Daniels and his son 
have had a taste of that wire fence and they 
may have figured out some way to get around it 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


(57 


— it would be a simple enough matter to do, 
after all.” 

“Well, what's your proposal?” inquired Billy 
Barnes. 

“To patrol the island all night, taking turns 
on watch. It’s not more than a mile or so all 
round it, and it ought to be an easy matter to 
keep the ground thoroughly covered.” 

“Rifles and rattlesnakes!” burst out Pudge, 
“I thought this was to be a sort of working va- 
cation and not a civil war.” 

Frank smiled, and then assumed a graver ex- 
pression as he went on: 

“There is so much valuable property here 
which it would be easy for malicious people to 
injure that I wouldn’t feel justified in leaving 
the island unguarded all night. What do the 
rest of you think?” 

“Just as you do, Frank,” rejoined Harry heart- 
ily, while Billy and Pudge nodded vigorously; 
“we’ve got to keep a sharp lookout. I nominate 
myself and Pudge for the first watch — say from 


38 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

eight to twelve. You and Billy can go on duty 

from midnight till daylight.’’ 

After some discussion this order of procedure 
was adopted. Promptly at eight o’clock Harry 
and Pudge Perkins went ‘'on duty,” while Frank 
and Billy turned in to get what sleep they could. 
As a matter of precaution, when they came to 
the island, the boys had brought along a revolver, 
and Harry was armed with this when he went 
on duty. He was not, of course, to use it as a 
weapon of offence, but it was agreed that, in 
case there was any alarm during his watch, he 
was to fire it three times, when the others would 
come to his assistance. 

Harry and Pudge accompanied each other as 
far as the gate, and then threaded their way 
down the path among the rocks toward the beach. 
A mild current had been turned on in the fence, 
enough to give an uncomfortable shock to any 
one tampering with it, but not enough to ex- 
haust the storage batteries which supplied it. 

When they reached the beach, Harry paused. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 39 

'We’d better start this patrol in opposite di- 
rections,” he said, "and then we can meet each 
other once on every circuit.” 

"All right,” agreed Pudge, "but — pirates and 
parachutes — keep a good eye open.” 

"Don’t worry about me,” rejoined Harry ; "so 
long!” 

As he spoke each boy stepped off into the dark- 
ness to begin the patrol. As Harry trudged 
along the beach his mind was full of the events 
of which Frank had spoken that afternoon. Up 
in the lighted hut, with his companions around 
him, it had seemed a very remote possibility to 
the boy that any attack should be made on the 
island. But pacing along under the stars, with 
only the sound of his own footsteps for company, 
placed a very different light on the matter. What 
if the disgruntled fishermen should make a night 
descent on the island ? 

"This won’t do,” exclaimed Harry to himself, 
coming to a sudden halt in the cove opposite to 
which the motor boat was moored, and where 


40 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


a blacker patch on the dark sand showed him 
the beached dinghy, “it's no use getting shivery 
and scared just because a couple of cranky fish- 
ermen are so sore at us. Fve got to brace up, 
that’s all there is to it.” 

His surroundings, however, were not calcu- 
lated to soothe the nervous suspense of the lad. 
Except for the stars glittering like steel points 
in the night sky there was no light. The night 
was so pitchy dark, on the beach under the 
shadow of the trees, that he could hardly see 
with certainty a yard ahead of him. The surf 
roared hoarsely against the rocks at the point — 
for the tide was full, and the night wind moaned 
in the trees like a note of warning. 

With an idea of carrying out his patrol prop- 
erly, Harry went toward the darker patch amid 
the gloom which showed him where the beached 
dinghy lay. He examined it as well as he could, 
and made sure that it was well above tide water, 
Having completed this, he paced on, and in due 
time heard footsteps approaching him which he 


FLIGHT FOE A FOETUNE 41 

knew must be those of Pudge Perkins. A minute 
later the two young sentinels met and exchanged 
greetings. Pudge had nothing to report, except 
that it was what he called a ‘‘creepy’’ job. How- 
ever, he pluckily averred : “Ghosts and gibber- 
ish, Harry, I’m going to stick it out.” 

“That’s right,” approved Harry, and after a 
few words both boys once more started out on 
their lonesome tours of duty. 

In due course Harry again reached the cove 
opposite the schooner hulk, and this time, being 
rather tired, he decided to sit down on the 
beached dinghy and take a rest. But, to his as- 
tonishment, it didn’t seem to be in the place 
where it should have been. 

“I could have sworn it was right here,” said 
Harry to himself, as he trudged about on his 
quest, “it must be close at hand. Guess I’ll fall 
over it and hurt my shins in a minute.” 

But although he reassured himself, the boy 
felt far from secure in his belief. After a fur- 
ther painstaking search he was fain to confess 


42 THE BOY AVIATOES^ 

— what he really believed from the first — that the 
dinghy which had lain there a short time before 
had mysteriously vanished! 

“Can it be those miserable Daniels?'’ gasped 
Harry to himself. “Yes, it must be," he went 
on, answering his own questions, “who else would 
have done it, unless it drifted off." 

He was moving about as he spoke, and as he 
uttered the last words he stumbled across some- 
thing that showed him very plainly that the 
dinghy could not have drifted away from the 
beach. What he had fallen over was the anchor 
firmly embedded in the sand, with a length of 
rope still attached to it. 

Harry felt along the bit of rope in the dark- 
ness till he reached the end of it. Then he 
struck a match. In the flicker of light which 
followed he saw plainly enough what had oc- 
curred — the rope had been slashed through. The 
boy had just made this discovery when from the 
water he heard something that caused him to 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 43 

listen acutely, bending every sense to the opera- 
tion. 

What he had heard was the splash of an oar, 
and a quick exclamation of impatience, as if the 
rower, whoever he was, had blamed his involun- 
tary misstroke. 

‘'Some one’s out there, and they’re aboard the 
schooner, too; or I’m very much mistaken,” ex- 
claimed Harry to himself, as, listening acutely, 
he caught the sound of footsteps proceeding, 
seemingly, by their hollow ring, from the decks 
of the dismantled hulk; “what will I do? If I 
fire the pistol I’ll scare them off, and if I 
don’t ” 

He stopped short. A sudden daring idea had 
flashed into his mind. The boy hastily slipped 
off his shoes and divested himself of all but his 
undergarments. Then, leaving his pistol on the 
beach, he slipped noiselessly into the bay and 
struck out in the direction of the schooner. The 
water was bitterly cold, as it always is off the 
Maine coast, even in the height of summer, but 


44 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


Harry kept dauntlessly on, determined to brave 
anything in the execution of his purpose. 

The hulk lay only about a hundred yards off 
the shore, and before long he could see her dark 
outlines looming up against the lighter darkness 
of the sky on the horizon. He fancied, but could 
not be certain that it was not an illusion, that 
for an instant he could see two forms creeping 
along the decks. The next moment something 
showed up ahead of him with which he almost 
collided. 

Harry, with a gasp of gratitude, for the water 
had chilled him to the bone, recognized it as the 
motor boat. As silently as he could he drew 
himself up into it, and then, casting himself flat 
in the cockpit, he listened with all his might for 
further sounds from the schooner. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


45 


CHAPTER IV. 

CUT ADRIFT. 

He did not have long to wait. Seemingly, who- 
ever the marauders were — and as to their iden- 
tity the lad could hazard a pretty good guess — 
they did not bother much about lowering their 
voices. 

“By the jumping crickey!’' he heard coming 
over the water from the schooner, “jiggered if I 
kin make out what they cal’kelated ter use this 
hulk fer.’’ 

“Hush ! Not so loud, pop. Ther sound car- 
ries tur’rble fur over ther water.’’ 

“As if I didn’t know thet, Zeb, but what do 
we care ? Them kids is fast asleep, and anyhow, 
we cut tlie dinghy adrift so they couldn’t do us 
any harm ef they wanted to.” 

“Thet’s right, too; but some of ’em might be 
prowling about. They’re up ter all sorts uv 


46 THE BOY AVIATOBS’ 

tricks. I ain’t forgot thet thar fence, I kin tell 
yer. My arm’s a-tingling yet whar thet elec- 
tricity hit me.” 

Soaked through as he was, and chilly into the 
bargain, Harry couldn’t help smiling as he heard 
this eloquent testimonial to the efficacy of the 
^^charged” fence. He had caught the name of 
''Zeb,” too, which speedily removed all doubt 
from his mind as to the identity of the marau- 
ders. 

“The precious rascals,” he thought, while his 
teeth chattered with cold, “I’m mighty glad I 
did swim out here, even if I am almost frozen 
to death. If they aren’t under arrest to-morrow 
it won’t be my fault.” 

Little more was heard from the schooner, but 
from what he could catch he surmised that the 
two fishers were completely mystified by the 
craft. Presently he heard their footsteps de- 
scending the gangway and then came the splash 
of oars. They were dipped silently no longer, a 
pretty sure sign that the two rascals didn’t much 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 47 

care if they were heard or not. After a moment 
the splashing sound grew more remote, and 
Harry knew that the two prowlers had taken 
their departure. 

There was a scull in the motor boat and as 
soon as he was sure that the Daniels were out 
of earshot, Harry up anchored and began scull- 
ing the motor boat toward the hulk. The dis- 
tance was so short that he did not want to bother 
to start the engine, and in a few seconds he was 
alongside the dark hulk. He shoved along the 
side till the motor boat grated against the gang- 
way, and then, not forgetting to make the motor 
craft fast, he leaped up the steps, with the pur- 
pose of discovering what harm, if any, had been 
wrought aboard the Betsy Jane, 

Harry knew where a lantern was kept, and 
descending into what had once been the cabin he 
began rummaging about for it. In the pitchy 
blackness the task took him longer than he had 
anticipated, but at last he found the lantern and 
the matches which lay beside it. Hastily striking 


48 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


a light he soon had the bare cabin filled with the 
yellow rays of the lamp. As has been explained, 
the Betsy Jane had been purchased as a sort of 
“trying-out’’ appliance for the inventions of Dr. 
Perkins, and therefore the cabin contained noth- 
ing in the way of furniture. The lamp, in fact, 
had only been placed on board as a precaution 
in case a riding light was ever needed on the an- 
chored hulk. But as she had remained at her 
moorings in the isolated cove this was not, of 
course, necessary. 

A brief look about the cabin showed Harry 
that nothing had been molested there. In fact, 
as has been said, there was nothing to molest. A 
door in the forward bulkhead led into the empty 
hold, and the boy next made his way there, the 
lamp casting weird shadows on the timbers as 
he went. His steps rang hollowly through the 
deserted ship, and he could hardly repress a shud- 
der as he threaded his way among the stanchions, 
which, like the pillars in a church, upheld the 
deck above his head. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 49 

Reaching what had been the forecastle of the 
Betsy Jane, Harry came to the conclusion that 
nothing had been damaged below. His next task 
was to go up on deck. His examination below 
decks had been painstaking, and had occupied 
him some time, but he was determined to make it 
a thorough one. The fact is that an ugly sus- 
picion had crept into Harry's mind as he lay in 
the bottom of the motor boat listening to the tw^o 
Daniels on board the schooner. This w^as noth- 
ing more nor less than a dread that they might 
have ''scuttled" the craft. From what he knew 
of them the two were capable of anything, and 
he thought that in their rage at finding nothing 
on board that they could damage they might have 
bored holes in the schooner in order to sink her. 
His investigation of the hold, however, had 
shown him — to his great relief — that nothing 
of the sort had occurred. 

Coming on deck Harry made as careful a 
search for damage as he had done in the hold. 
But the inclined superstructure remained intact. 


50 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

and nothing indicated that the Daniels had done 
anything more than stroll about, trying to dis- 
cover what the object of the schooner was. 

So intent had Harry been on his task that he 
had, for the time being, completely forgotten 
that Pudge must be anxiously looking for him. 
Going into the eyes of the craft he sent a hearty 
hail ashore: 

“Pudge ahoy ! Oh-h-h-h, Pu-d-g-e 

Then he stopped to listen intently. But no re- 
ply came to his hail. He tried it again and again, 
without success. Then he determined as a last 
resort to fire the agreed-upon three shots. He 
did not want to alarm his companions unneces- 
sarily, but surely, he thought, it would be a good 
idea to arouse them and communicate what had 
occurred since he left the hut. 

Up to that moment the boy had completely for- 
gotten that he had left the pistol on the beach. 
He felt compelled to laugh at himself for his 
absentmindedness, but while the laugh was still 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 51 

on his lips something happened that caused it to 
freeze there. 

A mass of cold spray was suddenly projected 
over the bow. At the same instant the old hulk 
quivered at the smart ‘'slap’’ of a wave. 

“Gracious!” thought Harry to himself, “the 
sea must be getting up. I reckon I’d best be 
going back ashore.” 

As he made his way aft toward the gangway 
he found that the sea must indeed have risen 
since he came on board. The old hulk was roll- 
ing about like a bottle, and he had to hold on to 
the rail as he made his way along the decks. Get- 
ting into the motor boat under these conditions 
was no easy task. But it was accomplished at 
last. 

“I guess I’ll start the engine before I cut 
adrift,” said Harry to himself. 

Later on he was to be very thankful he did. 
Turning on the switch and gasolene he began 
to “spin” the fly wheel; but beyond a wheezy 
cough the motor gave no sign of responding. 


52 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


For more than half an hour the boy worked with 
might and main over the refractory bit of ma- 
chinery, but to no effect. The engine was ab- 
solutely ''dead.'’ 

"What can be the matter with it?” thought 
Harry to himself. "It’s never acted this way be- 
fore.” 

He stood up, too engrossed in his problem to 
realize what a sea was running. Before he could 
recover his balance the pitching craft almost 
bucked him overboard. 

"Gracious! the waves are getting up with a 
vengeance,” exclaimed the boy to himself; "I can 
never scull ashore in this sea. Queer, too, there 
doesn’t seem to be any more wind than when I 
left shore. Certainly I’ve never seen the sea as 
rough as this in the inlet before.” 

With the object of finding out what ailed the 
obstinate motor, he returned to the deck of the 
schooner where he had left the lamp. Getting 
into the motor boat with it once more, by dint of 
much balancing and holding on he cast its rays 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 53 

on the single cylinder. Almost simultaneously 
he saw what had happened. Somebody, he had 
no difficulty in guessing who, had removed the 
sparking points. No wonder that no explosion 
had followed his efforts to get the craft under 
way. 

“Well, here’s a fine fix,” thought Harry; “even 
if I could attract their attention ashore I’ve got 
no means of getting there. Oh, if I won’t get 
even with those Daniels as soon as I get a chance ! 
Wonder what I’d better do?” 

His first move was to clamber back on board 
the schooner, for the wild rolling of the motor 
boat, as she plunged about at the foot of the gang- 
way, was not helpful to thought. Gaining the 
deck once more Harry sought out the cabin and 
seated himself on the edge of one of the empty 
bunks which ranged its sides. 

Suddenly it occurred to him that he was un- 
commonly sleepy, and at the same time he 
thought that possibly it would be a good idea 
to pass the rest of the night in slumber. He had 


54 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


no watch, but he imagined that it could not be 
so very far to daylight. With this object in 
view he cast himself down in the bunk and, de- 
spite the hardness of the bed and the chilliness 
of his scantily clad limbs, he rapidly slipped away 
from his surroundings into a dreamless sleep. 

When he awoke the sun was shining through 
the stern ports. That is, it was for one instant, 
and then in the next it was obscured again. 
Harry was enough of a sailor to know that this 
meant a cloudy day, with possibly a piping wind 
scurrying the clouds across the sky. 

“Thank goodness it’s daylight anyhow !” he ex- 
claimed, jumping from his uncomfortable couch, 
with an ache in every limb in his body; “now 
to go on deck and attract their attention ashore.” 

Utterly unprepared for the shock that was to 
greet him, Harry bounded up the companionway 
stairs and on to the deck. 

Had a bomb exploded at his feet he could not 
have been more thunderstruck than he was at 
the sight which greeted him. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 55 

There was no island, no distant mainland. 
Nothing but miles upon miles of tumbling blue 
water in which the Betsy Jane was wallowing 
about, casting showers of spray over her bow 
every time she nosed into a billow. 

Harry’s heart stood still for an instant. His 
senses swam dizzily. Then, with a sudden return 
of his faculties, he realized what had occurred. 

The mooring rope of the Betsy Jane had been 
cut or had broken, and he was miles out on the 
Atlantic without a prospect of succor. 


66 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER V. 

ADVENTURES ON THE HUEK. 

A sudden sharp puff of wind, followed by a 
heavier dip than usual on the part of the dis- 
mantled hulk, apprised the boy that both breeze 
and sea were increasing. Putting aside, for the 
moment, by a brave effort, his heart sickness, 
Harry ran to the rail and peered over the side. 
The motor boat was careering gallantly along by 
the side of her big consort, and the boy was glad 
to note that the painter still held, despite the 
strain. 

But Harry knew, from his examination the 
previous night, that it would be useless to try 
to escape by the motor craft. She was disabled 
beyond hope of repair, unless he could get an- 
other spark plug. Having made sure the motor 
craft was all right, Harry returned to the bow 
and sat down to think the situation over. 

It would have been a trying one for a man to 
face, let alone a lad; but Harry’s numerous ad- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


57 


ventures had given him a power of calm thought 
beyond his years, and he managed to marshal 
his ideas into some sort of shape as he crouched 
under the bow bulwarks. 

‘‘Evidently the Betsy Jane was caught by the 
tide, when it turned, and carried out to sea,” he 
thought, “and then, when the wind got up, she 
drifted still faster. I wonder if her mooring 
rope broke or if it was cut — guess Til take a 
look.” 

The boy dragged inboard the end of the moor- 
ing line that still hung over the bow. One look 
at it was enough. The clean cut strands showed 
conclusively that it had been severed, just above 
the water line, by a sharp knife. The fact that 
the Daniels could not know that any one would 
come on board after they slashed the line did not 
make their act any less heinous in Harry’s eyes. 
It had been their deliberate intention to set the 
schooner adrift, and they had succeeded only too 
well in their act of spite. 

“Whatever will they be thinking on the island 


58 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


when they discover all this?'’ thought Harry with 
a low groan. ''They'll imagine that I'm dead, or 
at least that some fatal accident has befallen me, 
and, worst of all, they have no boat to use to 
reach the mainland. They are just as much pris- 
oners as I am." 

Sharp pangs of hunger now began to assail 
the lad, and he recollected, with a thankful heart, 
that on board the motor boat there were the re- 
mains of a lunch they had taken ashore with 
them on their expedition the previous day. There 
was also a keg of water. Harry lost no time 
in descending the gangway and making his way 
to the locker where the food had been stored. 
First, however, he made a foray on the water 
keg. Taking out the stopper he found that it 
was only half full, but he slaked his thirst grate- 
fully, taking care lo use as small a quantity of 
the fluid as possible. He knew that before long 
the water might be precious indeed. 

In the locker he found the remnants of the 
lunch. As he consumed the scraps of bread and 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 59 

cheese, and a small hunk of corned beef, he re- 
called with what light hearts they had fallen to 
the meal of which he was now devouring the re- 
mains. The recollection almost overcame him. 
With a strong effort the boy choked back a sob 
and formed a grim determination not to dwell 
upon his miserable situation more than was pos- 
sible. He felt that the main thing was to keep 
a clear head. 

There was some spare rope on board the hulk, 
and with this Harry made the fastenings of the 
launch more secure, leading one end of the rope 
on board the schooner itself, and making it fast 
to a cleat. He felt that the craft would be more 
safe if attached thus than would have been the 
case had he depended on the gangway alone. 

This done, he took a look about him. He had 
had a vague hope that he might sight a ship of 
some sort, but the ocean was empty as a desert. 
Not a sail or a smudge of smoke marred the 
horizon. All this time the wind had been stead- 
ily freshening, and Harry judged that the 


60 


THE BOY AYIATOKS’ 


schooner must be drifting before it quite fast. 
The inclined superstructure naturally added to 
her ‘'windage’' and made her go before the gale 
more rapidly. The sea, too, was piling up in 
great, glistening, green water rows, which looked 
formidable indeed. But so far the Betsy Jane 
had wallowed along right gallantly, only ship- 
ping a shower of spray occasionally when a big 
sea struck her obliquely on the bow. 

“If only I had plenty of food and water,” 
thought Harry, “this would be nothing more than 
a good bit of adventure, but ” 

In accordance with his resolution not to dwell 
on the more serious aspects of his predicament 
he dismissed this side of the case from his mind. 
But as the day wore on, and he grew intolerably 
thirsty, the thought of what might be his fate, 
if he did not fall in with some vessel, beset his 
mind more and more, to the exclusion of all else. 
In the afternoon, as closely as he could judge 
the time, he took another drink from the fast- 
diminishing supply in the keg. He noticed, with 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 61 

an unpleasant shock, that the fluid was growing 
alarmingly lower. Before he took the draught 
he had cleaned up the remaining crumbs left in 
the locker, and was now absolutely without food. 

The rest of that afternoon he passed watching 
the empty sea for some sign of a ship, but not 
a trace of one could he discover. Utterly dis- 
heartened he watched the sun set in a blaze of 
crimson and gold. The sunset lay behind him, 
and Harry knew by this that he was drifting east 
at a rapid rate. Just how rapid he had, of course, 
no means of calculating. Of one thing he was 
thankful — the sea had not increased, and the 
wind appeared to have fallen considerably with 
the departure of daylight. 

‘'Surely,’’ thought the boy, ‘T must have 
drifted on the track of ocean vessels by this time. 
I know there’s a line to Halifax, and another to 
Portland, besides the coasters.” 

With this thought came another. What if he 
should be run down during the night? The idea 
sent a shudder through his scantily clothed form. 


62 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


He knew that derelicts are often the cause of 
marine disasters, and during the dark hours 
the hulk might invite such a fate if he did not 
take steps to guard against it. 

Accordingly he lit his lantern and hung it in 
the underpinning of the inclined superstructure. 

‘'At least they can see that,’’ he thought, as he 
completed the hanging of his warning light. 

Then, having done all he well could under the 
circumstances, Harry cast himself down in the 
lee of the weather bulwarks and tried to sleep. 
But in his scanty attire he was far too cold to 
do aught but lie and shiver till his teeth chat- 
tered. He determined to pass the rest of the 
night below, and once more sought a couch in 
the empty bunk. But sleep was a long time com- 
ing. Tired, excited and hungry as the boy was, 
he could not compose himself to slumber. Ten 
or a dozen times he started up and ran to the 
deck, thinking that he had heard the distant beat 
of some vessel’s engines. But each time it proved 
a false alarm. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


63 


At length tired nature asserted herself, and 
he sank to sleep in good earnest. When he 
awakened it was daylight, and there was an odd 
feeling about the motion of the Betsy Jane, She 
seemed to have ceased her rolling and pitching, 
and was almost steady in the water. Suddenly 
there came a jarring crash that almost threw 
Harry out of the bunk. 

Much startled, he ran on deck, and found, to 
his astonishment, that the vessel lay right off an 
island. Seemingly she had grounded on a reef 
of rocks stretching out from the island itself. 
At any rate, as the waves rocked her she gave 
a jarring, crunching bump with each pitch of her 
hull. The island appeared to be a small one, 
and in general appearance was not unlike Brig 
Island. In fact, at first Harry had thought that 
in some magical way the Betsy Jane had drifted 
back to that small speck of land. But a second 
glance showed him that the island off which the 
dismantled hull had grounded differed in many 


64 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

essentials from the one he had left. Far to the 
westward, about twenty miles as well as the boy 
could judge, lay a dim streak of dark blue that 
Harry guessed was the mainland. But for all 
the good it did him it might have been a hundred 
miles removed. 

Harry was still gazing at the island and won- 
dering how he could reach it before the Betsy 
Jane pounded herself to pieces on the rocks, when 
he started violently. The island was not, as he 
had supposed, uninhabited — at least, he had 
caught sight of a swirl of blue smoke rising from 
among the trees on its highest part. This meant 
help, companionship and food. An involuntary 
cry of joy rose to the boy^s lips, which the next 
instant turned to a groan as he looked over the 
side of the schooner and saw that the reef on 
which she had struck was much too far out from 
the shore for him to try to swim the distance, 
even if a roaring, racing tide would not have 
made it suicidal to attempt the feat. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


G5 


'‘Unless I can attract the attention of whoever 
lives there by shouting, I’m as badly off as I was 
before,” exclaimed Harry, in a voice made qua- 
very by panic. 


66 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER VI. 

HARRY MEE:TS AN OED FRIEND. 

All at once, while he was still gazing at the 
column of smoke shoreward, Harry became 
aware of a figure coming out of the woods to- 
ward the beach. He shouted with all his might, 
and the man who had appeared from the under- 
growth waved a reply. 

Then his voice came over the water. 

“WhaPsup?” 

The tone somehow was strangely familiar to 
Harry, and, for that matter, when he had first 
seen the figure of the newcomer it had struck 
him with an odd sense of familiarity. Suddenly 
he realized why this was. 

“Ben Stubbs \” he yelled at the top of his lungs. 

“Ahoy, mate!” came back after a pause; “who 
are you?” 

“Harry Chester!” 


FLIGHT FOK A FOFTUXE i;r 

“By the great horn spoon! What the dickens 
are you doing out there?’’ 

Cupping his hands to make his voice carry 
the better, Harry hailed back once more. 

‘H drifted here on this hulk. Can you take 
me off?” 

“Can I? Wait a jiffy.” 

Ben Stubbs — for it was actually the “maroon” 
whom the boys had rescued from a miserable fate 
in the Nicaraguan treasure valley — began run- 
ning along the shore as fast as his short legs 
would carry him. Presently he vanished around 
a wooded promontory, leaving Harry in a strange 
jumble of feelings. What could the good-hearted 
old companion of several of their adventures be 
doing on this desolate island off the Maine coast? 
When they had last heard from him he had been 
running a tug boat line in New York harbor, hav- 
ing purchased the business with the profits made 
out of the discovery of the treasure trove in the 
Sargasso Sea. 

Before a great while the man who had so op- 


68 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


portunely appeared came into view once more. 
This time he was in a skiff, rowing with strong 
strokes toward the stranded hulk of the Betsy 
Jane. Harry watched him with eager eyes. Fast 
as Ben Stubbs rowed, it seemed an eternity to the 
anxious boy before his strangely rediscovered 
friend reached the side of the grounded schooner. 

When he did so he hastily made fast, and was 
up the gangway ladder three steps at a time. 
Fortunately for his haste, the sea had diminished 
in roughness considerably, and the Betsy Jane 
lay almost motionless on the reef. Otherwise he 
would have stood a strong chance of being 
thrown from his footing. Harry was at the 
gang-way as Ben Stubbs’ weather-beaten counte- 
nance came into view at the top of the steps. 

Ben seized the boy’s hand in a grip that made 
Harry flinch, but he returned it with as strong 
a clench as he could. For a moment both of 
them were too much overcome with emotion at 
the strange meeting to utter a word. It was Ben 
who spoke first. 


FLIGHT FOK A FOETUXE GO 

'‘Waal, what under the revolving universe 
are you doing here?’' he demanded. 

“I was about to ask the same question of you.” 

“It’s a long story, boy, and you look just about 
played out. What has happened? I never 
dreamed that you were even in this neighbor- 
hood.” 

“I guess the same thing applies to me, so far 
as you are concerned, Ben,” rejoined Harry, be- 
tween a laugh and a sob. “As for myself. I’ve 
been adrift all night on this old hulk. Some ras- 
cals cut her loose from her moorings at Brig 
Island.” 

“Wow! you’ve drifted all the way from there. 
Why, it’s fifty miles or more away.” 

“I know it. It seemed a million to me. What 
worries me is what the others must be thinking. 
They won’t know if I’m dead or alive.” 

“We’ll find a way to let ’em know, never fear,” 
struck in Ben in his deep, rumbling voice; “but 
I reckon you’re hungry and thirsty?” 


70 


THE BOY AVIATOBS’ 


“Am I? Why, I could eat a horse without 
sauce or salt, as you used to say/’ 

“Then get in the skiff and come ashore. Fve 
got a sort of a hut there. It ain’t much of a 
place, but I’ve got enough to eat and a good 
spring of clear water, and I can give you a 
suit of slops.” 

“But the schooner?” demanded Harry. 

“She’ll be all right, I reckon. She’s lying on 
a sort of sandy ridge that runs out here. The 
sea’s gone down so that she won’t do herself any 
harm, and we can’t do her any good right now. 
You see, the tide is falling. When it rises we’ll 
try to get her off and anchor her in a snugger 
berth.” 

Harry might have argued the point, but the 
prospect of food and drink made so strong an 
appeal to him that he did not stop to waste words. 
Five minutes later they were rowing ashore, and, 
while Ben bent to the oars with a will, Harry 
told him in detail all that happened since they 
came to Brig Island, and the reason of their pres- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


71 


ence there. He knew that he was safe in con- 
fiding in old Ben. 

The relation of his story occupied the entire 
trip to the shore, and when Ben had beached his 
skifif he seized Harry by the arm and began hur- 
rying him up the beach toward a small hut, half 
canvas, half lumber, which stood back under the 
shelter of a low blufif. The boy was desperately 
anxious to learn the reason of Ben's presence on 
the island, for he knew it could have no ordinary 
cause. But the weather-beaten old adventurer 
would not allow the boy to say another word 
till he had clothed himself and eaten all he could 
put away of a rabbit stew washed down with 
strong cofifee. 

‘'Now, then,” remarked Ben, as soon as Harry 
had finished, ‘T suppose you're a-dyin' to hear 
what I'm doin' on Barren Island, which is the 
name of this bit of land?'' 

‘T am, indeed,'’ declared Harry, shoving back 
the cracker box which had served him as a chair ; 
“the last person in the world I would have ex- 


72 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


pected to see when the Betsy Jane grounded was 
Ben Stubbs/’ 

Ben chuckled. 

''Allers turnin’ up, like a bad penny, ain’t I?” 
he said, shoving some very black tobacco into his 
old pipe. '' ’Member ther time I dropped out of 
the sky in thet dirigible balloon?” 

'‘Well, I should say I did,” laughed Harry; 
“but how you got here is past my comprehension. 
What became of the tug boat line?” 

Ben snapped his fingers. 

“All gone, my lad! Gone just like that! I 
reckon I’m not a good hand at business, or the 
crooked tricks that answers for that same. Any- 
how, to make a long yarn a short one, I went 
on a friend’s note and he dug out. That was 
blow number one. To meet that note I had to 
mortgage some of my^boats, and in some way — 
blow me if I rightly understand it yet — I got 
myself in a hole whar’ the lawyer fellers bled 
me till I was mighty near dry. I tried to struggle 
along, but it wasn’t no go. Then came a strike 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 73 

of tug boat hands and that finished me. I 
couldn't stand the long lay off without anything 
to do, so I sold out for what I could get, and — 
and here I am." 

“I'm mighty sorry to hear that you failed, 
Ben," said Harry with real sympathy in his tones, 
“but you haven't said yet what you are doing 
here on Barren Island, as you call it." 

“I'm a-gettin’ to that, lad," said Ben, emitting 
a cloud of blue smoke; “give me time. As I told 
you, that feller on whose note I went, skedaddled. 
You see. I'd trusted him as my own brother, 
bein’ as I knew his father when I was a miner. 
He — that's this chap’s father, I mean — was a 
Frenchman, Raoul Duval was his name, and his 
son’s name the same. Old man Duval made his 
pile in Lower Californy and was makin' fer his 
home in New Orleans when ther steamer he was 
travelin' on blew up, and he and all his gold dust 
— a whalin’ big lot of it — went to the bottom. 

“I never calculated to hear anything more of 
Duval arter this, but one day this young feller 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


:4 

I’ve been tellin’ you about shows up in New York 
and hunts me up. He tells me that he's old 
Raoul's son, and that he'd had a run of hard 
luck and so on, and wants to go into business, 
and if, for his father's sake, I'll help him out. 
I asks him how he found me out, and he says 
that in his father’s letters home I had often been 
mentioned, and that when he heard of the Stubbs 
Towing Line he made inquiries and found that 
I was in all probability the same man. 

“As I told you, I let him have the money. It 
don't matter just how much, but it was quite a 
bit. You see, I did it for the old man's sake. 
I was sorry afterward. Young Duval wasn’t a 
chip of the old block at all. He was idle and 
dissipated. His business went under and he 
skipped out." 

“Did you lend him this money without security 
of any sort?" asked Harry incredulously. 

“In a way, yes. In another way, no. The 
young chap, when he came to me, had a wild 
story about knowing where the steamer on which 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


75 


his dad lost his life had sunk. He said that from 
letters written home before he left Lower Cali- 
forny, he knew the old man was carrying with 
him, besides the dust, a fortune in black pearls. 
Of course, all these went down when the steamer 
blew up. He had tried, he said, to get a lot of 
folks interested in a scheme to get at the 
wreck and recover the dust and the pearls, but 
they had all laughed at him. He said if I’d give 
him the money he wanted he’d give me, in return, 
the plan of the location whar’ the steamer went 
down.” 

‘‘And did he?” 

“Yes; but since he acted as he did I guess 
there’s no more truth in his yarn than there was 
in anything else he told me. Anyhow, I’ve never 
bothered my head about the matter since.” 

“Have you got the plan?” 

“Sure enough,” Ben fumbled in his pocket, 
“here it is; it’s a roughly drawn thing, as you 
see, but I reckon if the ship was really there it 
w^ould be an easy matter to locate her bones.” 


76 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


Harry nodded. He was looking over the map 
with deep attention. It was, as Ben had said, a 
crudely drawn affair, and purported to have been 
sketched by one of the survivors of the wreck, 
who, of course, did not know that in the return- 
ing miner’s cabin there was so much wealth. 

'‘How did young Duval get hold of this?” he 
asked at last. 

"He said that by chance he met a man who 
was the lone survivor of the disaster. This feller 
didn’t know who Duval was, and began talking 
to him about the wreck. Duval, recollecting that 
his father had carried a sum that amounted to 
more than $75,000, was naturally interested. He 
asked the man if he could draw him a sketch of 
the scene where the steamer sank. The feller 
said he could, and that thar sketch is what he 
drawed. At least that’s Duval’s story, and I’m 
frank to tell you I don’t believe a word of it.” 

"But still you haven’t told me what you are 
doing on this island,” said Harry after an in- 
terval. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 77 

‘^That’s so, too, lad. I got so interested in 
tellin’ my troubles I clean forgot about Barren 
Island. Well, it’s this way. Arter the crash I 
felt ashamed to show my face. Oh, all the cred- 
itors were paid up — every last one of ’em. But 
I felt like I was an old failure, and good fer 
nuthin’, so I remembered all of a sudden about 
this island that I’d been stranded on a good 
many years ago. I made inquiries and found 
that I could live here rent free as long as I liked, 
with none to interfere, and so I came here. It’s 
quiet and might be lonesome to some folks, but 
it suits me well enough, and I was calculatin’ 
to spend the rest of my days here, till you came 
along. But I feel different now.” 

‘^How’s that?” asked Harry, not knowing well 
just what to say to the old man who took his 
business failure so much to heart. 

“Why, I was watching you studyin’ that map. 
I could see by yer face that you put some stock 
in Duval’s yarn. Ain’t that so?” 

Harry could not but confess that it was. The 


78 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

old man’s story, and the map, had aroused in 
him the strong desire for adventure that both 
Boy Aviators possessed to a marked degree. Of 
course, from what Ben had said, Duval did not 
appear to be a person on whom much reliance 
could be placed, but then, again, there was the 
map, and it at least, even if crude, appeared to 
have been a genuine effort to mark the spot 
where the wreck lay. It showed a bayou marked 
“Black Bayou,” running back from the main 
stream of the Mississippi. A black dot some dis- 
tance up this bayou was lettered “Belle of New 
Orleans,” presumably the name of the steamer 
on which Duval met his end. 

The boy was still pondering over the map 
when, from seaward, there came a sound that 
made both Harry Chester and Ben Stubbs spring 
to their feet. 

“It’s a gun !” shouted the old man, as the boom- 
ing echoes died away; “may be a ship in dis- 
tress.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 79 

''Hardly, in this weather,’’ rejoined Harry, in 
a perplexed tone. 

But Ben Stubbs had darted from the shanty 
and was running for the beached skiff. A min- 
ute later Harry was close on his heels, and pres- 
ently they were pulling around the point, about 
to run into the surprise of their lives. 


80 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER VIL 

A PUZZLING PR0BLE)M. 

It is now time that we returned to the island 
where we left Pudge Perkins patrolling the 
beach, and Frank Chester and Billy Barnes 
wrapped in slumber. Frank had set the alarm 
clock for midnight, when it had been arranged 
that he and Billy were to turn out on patrol, and 
its insistent clamor had only just commenced 
when he sprang out of his bunk broad awake and 
prepared to go on duty. Billy stretched and 
yawned a bit before he, too, tumbled out. 

^'Gee whillakers !’’ he exclaimed, as he got into 
his clothes, ‘'it seems to me that we are making 
a lot of fuss over nothing, Frank. I don’t believe 
those fellows will come near the island to-night.” 

“Perhaps not ; but it’s our duty to be on guard. 
If anything happened to Dr. Perkins’ invention 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


81 


now it would be almost impossible to repair it in 
time for the tests he wants to make/' 

Talking thus the two lads got into their 
clothes, drank some coffee, which Frank had pre- 
pared while they were dressing, and then set out 
into the night. They made for the cove from 
which Harry had started his eventful swim. 

'‘Best wait here till they come round," said 
Frank, and he and Billy found places in the sand 
and made themselves as comfortable as possible 
till they should hear the footsteps of one of the 
young sentries. They had not long to wait. 
Hardly fifteen minutes had elapsed before 
Frank's sharp ears caught the sound of some one 
approaching. A minute later Pudge joined them. 
His first words were not calculated to make the 
newcomers feel at ease. 

“Where's Harry?" he demanded. 

“Don't you know?" ejaculated Frank with con- 
siderable surprise. 

“No. I've been making my patrol regularly, 


82 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

and the last three times Tve been round I haven’t 

met him.” 

Frank’s face could only be dimly seen in the 
darkness, but all his alarm was plain enough in 
his next words. 

“What can have become of him?” 

“Maybe he took the dinghy and decided to look 
over the motor boat and the hulk,” suggested 
Billy. 

“That’s easy enough to find out,” declared 
Frank, starting for the place where the dinghy 
had been beached. A moment later he stumbled 
over the anchor and, closely following this, by 
the aid of a lighted match, he made the discovery 
that the rope had been slashed. 

“Harry never took that dinghy,” he exclaimed 
apprehensively, “there’s been some crooked work 
here.” 

“Thunder and turtles! What do you mean?” 
gasped Pudge, fully as anxiously. 

“That some one has landed here and stolen 
the dinghy and taken Harry along with them. I 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 83 

can't think of any other explanation. Harry 
would never have cut that rope." 

‘‘You mean he’s been carried off?" The ques- 
tion came from Billy Barnes. 

“I can’t think of any other explanation. 
Pudge, did you hear anything that sounded 
suspicious ?’’ 

“Oilskins and onions, no ! Not a sound. Let’s 
fire a pistol and see if we get any answer." 

“That’s a good idea. Pudge — Great Scott !’’ 

“What’s the matter?" demanded Billy Barnes, 
as Frank broke off short and uttered the above 
exclamation. 

“Look here ! Harry’s clothes ! Wait till I get 
a light. There ! Now, see all his outer garments 
and his pistol lying by them." 

“Gatling guns and grass hoppers, if this 
doesn’t beat all." 

“He can’t have been carried off, then," burst 
out Billy, “but if he wasn’t, how did that dinghy 
rope come to be cut?" 

Frank made no answer at the moment. The 


84 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

discovery of Harry’s clothes on the beach had 
put a dreadful fear into his mind. What if the 
boy had heard a disturbance on the hulk or on 
the motor boat and, having swum off to see what 
was the trouble, had been seized with a cramp 
and drowned? 

But Frank firmly thrust the question from him 
the next minute. Such thoughts were by far too 
unnerving to be dwelt on. The others remained 
silent. They seemed to be waiting for Frank to 
speak. Presently the words came. 

‘Tt’s too dark to see anything out there,” said 
the boy, in as firm a voice as he could command. 
‘Xet’s fire three shots — the signal we agreed 
upon — and then if Harry is on the hulk or the 
motor boat he will be sure to answer them.” 

The others agreed that this seemed about the 
best thing to do, and Pudge, taking Harry’s dis- 
carded weapon, fired it three times. Then came 
a long pause, filled with an ominous silence. 

“Try again,” said Frank in a strained voice. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 85 

Once more three sharp reports sounded. But 
again there was no answer. 

‘'That settles it/’ declared Frank solemnly; 
“something has happened to Harry. We must 
get out to the hulk and to the motor boat.” 

“How? The dinghy’s gone, and ” 

“Fm going to swim for it.” 

Already Frank had thrown off his outer gar- 
ments. On the beach lay a balk of timber which 
they sometimes used to tie the dinghy to. Frank 
now ordered his companions to help in rolling 
this down to the water. 

“I’m going to use it as a help in swimming out 
there,” he said; “the water’s pretty cold, and I 
don’t want to risk a cramp.” 

“Wait till daylight, Frank,” urged Billy; “it 
won’t be long till dawn now, and ” 

But Frank cut him short abruptly. 

“My brother’s out there somewhere,” he said 
in a sharp, decisive voice, “and Fm going to find 
out what’s happened to him.” 

A minute later Frank was in the water push- 


86 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


ing the balk of timber before him and head- 
ing, as nearly as he knew how, for the spot 
where the hulk and the motor boat had been 
moored. 

It was more than half an hour before Billy 
and Pudge saw him again. Then he reappeared, 
chilled through and shivering in every limb. His 
first words almost deprived his companions of 
breath. 

‘'They’re gone !” he exclaimed. 

“What!” the exclamation came from both 
Billy and Pudge simultaneously. They guessed 
by some sort of intuition what Frank referred to. 

“Yes, they’re both gone,” repeated Frank; 
“the Betsy Jane and the motor boat.” 

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken, Frank?” 
inquired Billy, unwilling to believe the extent 
of the catastrophe that had overtaken them. 

“I’m as sure that they’re gone as I am that I 
am standing here,” was the reply. “I cruised 
about on my log for jjuite a radius, and couldn’t 
discover a sign of them. I found the motor 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 87 

boat's buoy, though. She had been untied by 
some one." 

“But the Betsy Jane? Schooners and succo- 
tash ! the Betsy JaneT broke in Pudge. 

“Gone, too," Frank's voice broke, “but I 
wouldn't care about either if I only knew what 
had become of Harry." 

“Come on up to the hut and we'll have some 
hot coffee and talk it over," said Billy, who saw 
that Frank, besides being almost numb with cold, 
was half crazy at the mystery of Harry's fate. 

Frank suffered himself to be led up to the 
hut and the rest of the night was passed in spec- 
ulation as to the fate of the missing boy. All 
three of the lads were pretty sure that the two 
Daniels had had a hand in the night's work some- 
how, but they were far from guessing what had 
actually occurred. 

Soon after daylight the wireless began work- 
ing. Dr. Perkins notified them from Portland 
that he expected to arrive that afternoon at 
Motthaven, and wished them to meet him. Frank 


88 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


found some relief for his wrought-up feelings 
in informing the inventor of what had occurred. 

‘'Will charter fast boat and be there with all 
speed,” came the reply through the air; “make 
the best of it till I come. Am confident that ev- 
erything will come out all right.” 

And with this message the “marooned” trio on 
the island had to be content. The day was passed 
in making a careful survey of the island to dis- 
cover, if possible, some trace of the marauders. 
But none was to be found. The tide had even 
obliterated any footmarks they might have left 
in the damp sand. Thoroughly disheartened and 
miserable, the boys ate a scanty lunch and then 
sat down to await the arrival of Dr. Perkins. 

It was sundown when a fast motor boat ap- 
peared to the southward, cleaving the water at a 
rapid rate. A quarter of an hour later Dr. Per- 
kins was hearing from the boys’ own lips the 
strange story of their adventures of the past day 
and night. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


89 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE DERELICT destroyer. 

Assuredly it was a surprising sight that greeted 
the eyes of Harry and Ben Stubbs as the latter 
pulled the skiff around the point. Not half a 
mile away lay a dull, gray-colored craft like a 
gunboat, with the Stars and Stripes floating from 
her stern. From her bow a puff of smoke was 
drifting away, showing that she had been the 
craft that had fired the shot which had aroused 
them. 

But what could she be doing? Above all, why 
had the shot been fired? Harry's eyes furnished 
the answer as he saw that part of the rail of the 
schooner was missing, a jagged break showing 
where it had been torn away. 

‘‘Great guns !" shouted Ben, “they've bin firin’ 
at your old hulk." 

As he spoke there was a flash from the side 


90 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


of the lead-colored craft, and a projectile shrieked 
by above the pair in the boat, causing them to 
duck involuntarily. 

‘'Cracky!’’ shouted Harry, ‘T’ve got it. That 
craft is a derelict destroyer. One of Uncle Sam’s 
craft whose duty it is to put obstructions to navi- 
gation out of the way.” 

“You’re right, boy, and they are bent on send- 
ing that there Betsy Jane to the bottom.” 

“We must stop them,” ejaculated Harry ex- 
citedly; “that schooner is wanted by Mr. Perkins 
to use in his experiments. That’s why he had 
the runway built. We must signal them some- 
how.” 

“No need to, lad. See, here comes a boat.” 

Sure enough, as he spoke a cutter was lowered 
from the warlike-looking vessel’s side, and be- 
fore long, impelled by muscular arms, it was fly- 
ing over the water toward the hulk. 

“Pull round and meet them,” suggested Harry. 

But Ben was already doing that very thing. 
So fast did the government cutter approach that 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 91 

just as the skiff was rounding the stern of the 
ill-used Betsy Jane, the former craft, with a 
dapper young officer in the stern, was drawing 
alongside the hulk. 

The astonishment of the officer was great when 
Harry explained matters. 

“It’s lucky that I decided to make an examina- 
tion into the effect of the shots already fired be- 
fore I finished her up,” he laughed. “I am in 
command of the United States derelict destroyer 
Seneca, yonder. We’ve just despatched an old 
hulk some miles out at sea, and when, on our re- 
turn down the coast, we saw your old hull, we 
thought it was a good chance to try out a new 
kind of gun we have to despatch these menaces 
to navigation.” 

“I’m glad we heard your first shot in time to 
explain matters,” said Harry; “this craft belongs 

to Dr. Perkins, the aeronautical inventor, who 

► 

wishes to use it in some experiments. As I told 
you, I unfortunately drifted to sea in it when 
some rascals cut the rope.’^ 


92 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

The officer sympathized to the full with ^Harry 
and offered to give him a spark plug for his 
motor boat from a supply carried for a similar 
craft on board the Seneca. 

'‘But/' he continued, "Fve got a better plan 
than that. Fm bound down the coast. I know 
Dr. Perkins slightly and should be glad to do him 
a service. Why not accept a tow from me? Fll 
get you to Brig Island by nightfall anyway, and 
that's much quicker than you could tow this hulk 
with the motor boat, even if you could get her 
off the sand.” 

Harry gladly agreed to this arrangement. A 
line was made fast to the Betsy Jane and affixed 
to the towing bitts of the derelict destroyer. The 
tide by this time had turned, and after a short 
struggle the Betsy Jane once more floated in deep 
water. 

'T don't know if this is exactly regular,” re- 
marked the young officer in command, when the 
hulk lay bobbing astern of the trim and trig gov- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 93 

ernment craft, “but I guess it's all in the line of 
duty. So come on board." 

Harry and Ben were in the skiff alongside the 
Betsy Jane when this offer was made. 

Without hesitation Harry stepped upon the 
companionway. He turned to Ben, and was 
abbut to bid that veteran adventurer good-by, 
with a promise to visit Barren Island in the near 
future, when, to his astonishment, Ben calmly 
hitched his skiff alongside the motor boat and 
stepped up after him. 

“I reckon I’ve had about enough of that 
island," he said; “I’m a-goin’ to ship with you 
on this cruise if it’s agreeable." 

“Agreeable?" laughed Harry. “Why, Ben, 
you are as welcome as the flowers in May. But 
haven’t you left a lot of stuff behind on the 
island?" 

“Nothing that ’ull hurt. The only other suit 
I own you’ve got on, and funny enough you look 
in it, too," and Ben chuckled; “as for the hut and 
what grub’s left, and so forth, any one’s welcome 


94 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


to 'em that takes a fancy to 'em. I've got a bit 
left in the bank yet, and I guess I can afford a 
new outfit anyway, so heave ahead. Mister Skip- 
per, as soon as you're ready.” 

The officer, who had watched this scene in some 
astonishment, broke into a laugh. 

‘T see you are an individual of impulse,” he 
said, ‘'but if you want to go along it will spare 
my sending a man on board the schooner to help 
our young friend.” 

“Waal, then, it's an arrangement that's agree- 
able to all parties,” rejoined Ben, lighting his 
pipe ; “so that's all settled.” 

A short time later the Seneca moved ahead, at 
first slowly, and then faster, while the wander- 
ing Betsy Jane followed docilely after her 
through the now calm sea. True to Lieut. Mac- 
Allister's promise, they were off Brig Island by 
sunset. As deep water extended close inshore, 
the derelict destroyer was enabled to tow the 
hulk almost up to the boys' “front door,” so to 
speak, and from the beach a little group set up 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 95 

a loud cheer as the Betsy Jane's spare anchor 
rattled down and she swung at rest. 

The presence of the little party to witness the 
arrival is due to the fact that Lieut. MacAllister, 
who knew from Harry that there was a wireless 
on the island, had kept his operator busy send- 
ing “bulletins’^ to Dr. Perkins all the way down 
the coast; and so, when first the Seneca's smoke 
streaked the horizon, all was ready to give the 
returned wanderer a big reception. 

The Betsy Jane, having been safely anchored, 
the Seneca, with three toots of her siren, departed 
on her way, while Harry and Ben lost no time in 
tumbling into the skiff and rowing ashore. To 
describe what took place then would take up a 
lot of space without giving any clearer picture 
of the reunion that each of you can imagine for 
himself. 

Readers of the former volumes of this series 
know how highly the Boy Aviators regarded Ben 
Stubbs, and after a short conversation with him 
Dr. Perkins came to share their good opinion of 


96 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


the rugged old adventurer. It would be impos- 
sible to tell with accuracy how many times that 
night Harry’s story was told, and how many 
times Frank and the others repeated the tale of 
their anxious hours while he was missing. The* 
first wireless flash from the Seneca, Frank de- 
scribed as ‘^the best thing that ever happened.” 
This opinion the others heartily echoed. 

“Well,” said Dr. Perkins, as at last they made 
ready to “turn in,” “all is well that ends well, 
and to-morrow I have an announcement of some 
interest to make to you lads. From my inspec- 
tion of the work done so far on the 'Sea Bagle/ 
as I have decided to christen her, I think that 
within a few days we can take her on her trial 
trip.” 

“Anchors and aeroplanes!” shouted Pudge, in 
high glee, “I book passage right now !” 

“And I — and I — and I,” came from the others, 
while Ben Stubbs inquired plaintively if there 
would be room for him. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


97 


CHAPTER IX. 

the: flight of the: ""ska faglf."" 

Having already given a brief description of 
Dr. Perkins’ Sea Eagle, it would be wearisome to 
dwell in detail on all that was done during the 
next week to put that craft in shape for the final 
tests, upon which so much depended. It may 
be said here, though, that besides a visit paid to 
Motthaven in an effort to secure the apprehen- 
sion of the two Daniels, a search was prosecuted 
for the missing dinghy. Neither mission proved 
successful. 

The Daniels, having discovered that Harry 
was on board the Betsy Jane after they cut that 
craft loose, had vanished from the little com- 
munity. As for the dinghy, it was supposed that 
they had taken that small craft with them. At 
any rate, it was impossible to get any news of 
their whereabouts on shore. This may be at- 


98 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

tributed to a distinct prejudice felt by the fishing 
community against the dwellers on Brig Island. 
Your down-easter is inquisitive to a degree, and 
the secrecy under which operations on the island 
were carried on was felt as a distinct affront to 
the little town. So therefore, although the local 
authorities promised every co-operation in seek- 
ing out the Daniels and punishing them for their 
outrageous conduct, it may be doubted if the ef- 
forts went much further than the mere assur- 
ance. 

But after all, in the rush of interesting work 
that was now on hand, the Daniels were almost 
forgotten. The Betsy Jane had been towed round 
into the nearer cove, where she could be con- 
stantly watched, and the motor boat was used in 
the operation, the officer of the derelict destroyer 
having fulfilled his promise to furnish the boys 
with a new spark plug for the engine in place of 
the one taken by the marauders. 

The morning after Harry's return to the island 
Dr. Perkins had laid down a systematic plan of 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 99 

action. Frank and Harry were assigned to aid 
him in giving the finishing touches to the Sea 
Eagle, while his son and Billy Barnes were set 
to work with axes to clear a sort of runway down 
to the beach. Both Billy and Pudge would much 
rather have had a hand in the mechanical part 
of the work, but they pluckily went ahead on 
their designated duty and stuck to it till a broad 
path had been cleared from the summit of the 
island to the margin of the beach. 

When this ''roadway’’ through the brush had 
been cleared, two lines of planking, firmly nailed 
to stout supports, were run down on each side 
of it, forming a sort of railway, similar to those 
from which vessels are launched. 

It was down this runway that it was designed 
to introduce the Sea Eagle to her initial plunge. 
At last the day arrived when all was complete, 
and the Sea Eagle was pronounced fit for the 
test. During the night before this event not one 
of the boys got more than half his usual allow- 


100 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

ance of sleep. In fact, it is doubtful if Dr. Per- 
kins enjoyed much more repose. 

By earliest dawn they were out, to find every 
promise of a glorious day. Breakfast that morn- 
ing was a hasty apology for a meal, and hardly 
had it been gulped down before all hands were 
in the Sea Eaglets shed. As has been said, the 
boat-like underbody of the craft had been 
mounted on a wheeled frame before it was as- 
sembled. All that had to be done then to get 
everything in readiness for the final test was to 
make fast a block and tackle to a stoutly rooted 
tree, and then wheel the Sea Eagle to the top 
of the inclined runway. 

When the odd-looking craft was safely poised 
on the top of the rails the loose end of the tackle 
was made fast to the stern of the substructure, 
and Billy, Pudge and Harry were delegated to 
‘'belay’' the rope as required. Frank and Dr. 
Perkins seated themselves in the “boat,” and at 
the words “Let her go!” the Sea Eagle in her 
wheeled frame began her descent down the run- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 101 

way. By means of the tackle the three boys at 
the summit of the incline easily controlled the 
novel craft’s descent, stopping from time to time 
while Dr. Perkins and Frank made a survey to 
see that all was going well. 

'‘Bunting and buttercakes !” grumbled Pudge, 
as the boys alternately “let go” and “hauled in” 
on the tackle, “I thought a launching was more 
of a gala event than this.” 

“I guess the doctor is too anxious to test out 
the Sea Eagle to bother with the trimmings,” 
laughed Harry; “it’s results that he’s after.” 

As a matter of fact, the launching of the Sea 
Eagle was a very mild affair compared with what 
might have been expected. Had the villagers 
ashore known of it, doubtless a small fleet of 
boats would have been lying off the cove to wit- 
ness it, but it was for that very reason that the 
deepest secrecy had been observed, and that the 
early hour had been chosen. As Dr. Perkins 
said, he “didn’t want any fuss and feathers” 


102 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


made over what was merely, after all, an experi- 
ment. 

The rolling glide down the runway was made 
without incident, and at last the bow of the Sea 
Eagle's ‘‘hull’' struck the water. A cheer went 
up then that rang shrill and clear out over the 
calm sea. Even Perkins joined in the en- 
thusiasm, as well he might, for the goal of his 
ambition was in sight at last. 

The Sea Eagle had been sent on her initial 
voyage without the aeroplane wings or the aux- 
iliary lifting bags being attached. It was de- 
sired, first of all, to try out her qualities as a 
water skimmer. As soon as she was fairly 
afloat, the wheeled carriage on which the descent 
had been made was drawn ashore. Having been 
weighted before the start was made, it of course 
sank under the Sea Eagle when the sea and air 
craft floated, thus allowing it to be reclaimed 
with ease. 

“Looks like a butterfly with its wings clipped 
off,” commented Billy Barnes as, with the others. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 103 

he hastened to the beach as soon as their task 
was over. 

Indeed, the odd-shaped hull, with its naked 
frame and two gaunt aerial propellers, did look 
strangely incomplete. But the boys knew that 
the wings were all ready for instant attachment. 
In fact, it was one of the features of the Sea 
Eagle that the craft was capable of being taken 
to pieces and put together again with very little 
loss of time or labor. 

As the hydroplane portion of the Sea Eagle 
floated clear of the weighted frame in which it 
had made its journey to the beach, Frank looked 
inquiringly at the inventor. His hand was on 
the self-starting device which put the powerful 
motor in operation. Dr. Perkins was actually 
pale, and Frank could see that his strong hand 
shook perceptibly as he nodded his head. 

But he mastered his nervousness quickly, and, 
grasping the steering-wheel in a firm grip, he 
spoke : 

‘‘You can start up now,” he said. 


104 


THE BOY AVIATOKS^ 


Frank turned the starting handle, admitting a 
charge of gas to the cylinders. Then he pressed 
a button and instantly the motor responded with 
a roar and a series of explosions, like those of a 
battery of gatling guns going into action. Hav- 
ing started it he admitted gasolene, and adjusted 
the carburetor till the cylinders were all working 
steadily. 

Close to Dr. Perkins’ hand was a lever. This, 
when moved, 'Threw in” the clutch connecting 
the motor with the driving mechanism. Directly 
Frank had finished tuning up the motor Dr. Per- 
kins’ hand reached for the lever. He jerked it 
nervously back. There was a whirr and a buzz, 
as the chains whirled the twin propellers round, 
and at the same instant the Sea Bagle darted for- 
ward like an arrow from a bow. 

Faster and faster she went, getting up speed 
with seemingly marvelous rapidity. But instead 
of driving deeper into the water, under the 
pressure of the aerial propellers which rushed 
her forward through the atmosphere, the faster 


FLIGHT FOK A FORTUNE 105 

the Sea Bagle was driven the more lightly did 
the craft skim the surface of the water, till at 
top speed — 2,000 revolutions a minute — her bot- 
tom barely touched the water. This was owing 
to the peculiar construction of the hull, which 
was designed so as to ‘^plane^’ the water in ex- 
actly the manner it did. 

Cheer after cheer broke from the lads on shore 
as they saw the. swift craft dart off, slicing the 
tops of the small waves like a cream skimmer. 
Dr. Perkins circumnavigated the island three 
times before he gave the signal to Frank to slow 
down. Then, releasing the clutch, the inventor 
allowed the Sea Bagle to come to rest, with its 
bow almost touching the beach. 

‘'Now we will have a weight test,’’ he an- 
nounced; “come on, boys.” 

The lads ashore surely needed no second invi- 
tation. Without bothering to remove shoes or 
stockings they waded into the water and out to 
the Sea Bagle' s side. In less time than it takes 
to tell it they were swarming over the side of the 


106 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

cockpit and struggling for positions near the en- 
gine. But Dr. Perkins made them arrange them- 
selves so that their weight would be evenly dis- 
tributed. Ben Stubbs and Harry sat in the ex- 
treme stern, while Pudge and Billy occupied op- 
posite seats amidships. 

This done, off darted the Sea Eagle once more, 
and speedily set at rest all doubts as to h^r capa- 
bility to '^plane,” or skim the v^ter, under an 
added load. 

‘TPs like riding on a floating island over a sea 
of raspberry ice cream soda,'’ declared Billy, 
when he was asked later to describe his sensa- 
tions. 

But a severer test awaited the Sea Eagle, 
namely, the trying out of her capacity actually 
to rise into the air. The craft was run partially 
ashore, and the great wings bolted in place and 
the stay wires adjusted. The stay wires were 
tightened by turn buckles till they were taut as 
fiddle strings, assuring stability of the wings. 
But in addition the wings were, of course, par- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 107 

tially supported on the light but strong skeleton 
framework before noticed. 

Much to the disappointment of the others, only 
Frank and Harry Chester and Dr. Perkins were 
to participate in the flying trials. But they took 
it all in good part, being promised rides later if 
the tests were successful. As before, the Sea 
Eagle, after she had been backed off and the pro- 
pellers started, skimmed along the top of the 
water like a flying fish. But all at once the 
watchers on shore saw her rise bodily from the 
water and soar upward into the air. Higher and 
higher went the craft, gliding like a gull through 
the ether. It was an inspiring sight, and a per- 
fect tornado of yells broke from Ben Stubbs, 
Billy and Pudge. But those on board the Sea 
Eagle could not hear the sounds of enthusiasm 
above the roaring of the motor. 

Under Dr. Perkins' skillful guidance the Sea 
Eagle climbed the aerial staircase till a height 
shown by the barograph to be almost 4,000 feet 
had been attained. 


108 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


''Now to test the buoyancy apparatus/’ cried 
the doctor suddenly. "Shut off power, Frank.” 

Frank, who knew what was coming, obeyed 
the order and turned a valve admitting the pure 
hydrogen gas from one of the cylinders into the 
buoyancy devices. Instantly the upper wings 
swelled, till they resembled puffed-out mattresses 
more than anything else, and the "volplaning” 
downward movement was perceptibly checked. 
But, setting the descending device. Dr. Perkins 
headed the Sea Eagle for the water, and, skill- 
fully manipulating the craft, landed it as lightly 
as a drifting feather on the water by the hull of 
the Betsy Jane, 

Now came a further trial of the capabilities of 
the wonderful new craft which, so far, had 
proven such a success. Dr. Perkins set the planes 
in a rising position and allowed the Sea Eagle 
to hover above the Betsy Jane, like the bird for 
which the aerial craft had been named. Then 
suddenly he began a rapid descent, landing finally 
on the very summit of the inclined runway be- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 109 

fore mentioned. The sides of the Sea Eagle 
were equipped with large metal hooks, which 
were hastily thrown out by the boys and attached 
to four ‘‘eyes’’ arranged to receive them. 

When this had been done the suction pump 
was set to work, and the inflated wings emptied 
of the gas, which was forced back into its re- 
ceiver, and the valve closed. It was calculated 
that less than two per cent of the gas was lost 
during the process. The Sea Eagle was now once 
more a simple hydroplane, without any buoyancy 
device. 

At a word from Dr. Perkins the hooks which 
had held the machine in place were disengaged, 
and instantly the craft began to glide down the 
runway. Half way down the engine was started, 
and when the graceful craft reached the abrupt 
end of the incline, the Sea Eagle went soaring 
off into space like a huge white-winged bird. 
This test was regarded by Dr. Perkins as the 
most important, for it proved the entire prac- 


110 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


ticability of launching the Sea Eagle from a ship 
far out on the ocean. 

After circling in the air a few times the tests 
were concluded by a rapid drop toward the earth 
right above the summit of the island. Just as it 
seemed as if the new craft must end her career 
by being dashed to bits against the construction 
shed, a skillful twist of the steering device sent 
her soaring upward once more. Two more 
swinging aerial loops were described, and then, 
with hardly a jar or vibration, the Sea Eagle 
was brought to rest by her inventor, almost in 
front of the shed where she had been assembled. 

As the thrilling and wonderful trip was con- 
cluded, the boys came pressing about Dr. Per- 
kins, showering congratulations and good wishes. 

‘'Why, one could fly across the ocean in such 
a craft,” declared Frank enthusiastically. 

The others laughed, but, to their astonishment. 
Dr. Perkins looked perfectly serious. 

“I have a long trip in view,” he said, “a flight 
that will test every wire and bolt in the Sea 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 111 

Eagle's construction. I did not announce this 
before for I wished first to see if everything 
worked satisfactorily.’’ 

'‘No doubt about that,” said Billy Barnes with 
enthusiasm. He had been dodging about the 
great flying machine, taking photos from every 
possible angle. « 

"No,” admitted Dr. Perkins ; "I must say that 
so far the Sea Eagle is all that I could desire. 
But the final test will put that beyond the shadow 
of a doubt. Do you boys wish to undertake a 
long trip?” 

"Cookies and cucumbers! Do we!” roared 
Pudge, as the others pressed eagerly about to 
hear the unveiling of the doctor’s plan. 


112 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


CHAPTER X. 

Q. D.r 

But they were compelled to curb their impa- 
tience till that evening after supper, for the doc- 
tor set every one busily to work ''stabling^' the 
Sea Eagle and attending to the engines after the 
hard test they had undergone. Every part was 
carefully gone over, and it was found that despite 
the strain of the novel craft's first try-out, noth- 
ing save a few minor adjustments were required. 

''Now, dad," said Pudge, after the dishes had 
been washed and Ben had his pipe going, and 
the others were perched on the edge of the lower 
bunks, like so many birds on a rail, "now, then, 
dad, we are ready to hear your plans for that 
cruise." 

Dr. Perkins smiled. 

"I'm afraid, my boy," he said, "that you are 
in for a disappointment. While I thoroughly 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 113 

believe the Sea Eagle is capable of conveying our 
whole party through almost anything, I am un- 
willing to place too great a burden on her at her 
first long-distance trial.” 

Pudge’s face lengthened. 

'‘Oceans and octopuses !” he groaned, "I s’pose 
Pm to be left behind, as usual.” 

"Fm afraid it will be necessary,” was the re- 
ply; "you see, there will only be room under my 
present plan for experienced navigators. But 
not to keep you in suspense any longer, my pres- 
ent plan is to cruise down the coast to Florida, 
round that peninsula, and then fly up to New 
Orleans, and then possibly I might test out the 
Sea Eagle still further on a flight up the Mis- 
sissippi.” 

"Wow! And we’re to miss all that?” 

"Not all of it. Pudge,” smiled the doctor. "I 
was planning to send you and Billy on ahead to 
meet us at New Orleans and make arrangements 
for our arrival there.” 

“Cookies and catamounts! That’s not so bad. 


114 


THE BOY AVIATOES^ 


IVe always longed to see New Orleans. But, 
then, would you take us with you up the Mis- 
sissippi V 

“If we go — ^yes.’’ 

“Look a-here,'' struck in Ben’s bass voice at 
this point, “I don’t want to butt in, or nothing 
like that, doctor; but this here is a cruise that 
just suits me. Would you have any objection 
if I went along with ther boys ter New Orleans?” 

“Why, I hadn’t thought of it,” confessed Dr. 
Perkins. 

“You see, I’ve got some partic’lar business 
down that way,” said Ben, with a portentous 
wink at Harry; “ain’t I, Harry?” 

The boy addressed instantly guessed that Ben 
referred to the supposed treasure trove lying at 
the bottom of the Black Bayou. Now, in the 
rush of events following Harry’s return from his 
strange cruise on the Betsy Jane, he had quite 
forgotten about Raoul Duval’s map. But now 
it flashed back on him, and the recollection caused 
him to flush with excitement. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 115 

Dr. Perkins looked puzzled, while a glance of 
intelligence shot between the grizzled old adven- 
turer and the boy. 

“Have I got your leave to tell about the sunken 
steamer?” inquired Harry. 

“Sure. Heave ahead, my boy,” was the hearty 
answer; “I was never much of a hand at spin- 
ning a yarn.” 

“Pirates and petticoats ! What’s all this about 
a yarn and a sunken ship?” demanded Pudge. 

“Sounds like some fresh adventure. Anything 
like the Buena Ventura cruise?” asked Billy 
Barnes, referring, of course, to their experiences 
in the Sargasso Sea. 

“I hope not,” laughed Harry. “No, this is a 
much tamer affair,” he continued. “Ben, here, 
thinks that he knows of a craft sunk in a bayou 
off the Mississippi, on board of which is a small 
fortune in gold dust and black pearls.” 

“Gold dust and black pearls !” cried Billy 
Barnes. “Wow ! that sounds like a regular 
story.” 


116 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

‘‘Suppose we let Harry heave ahead, as Ben 
calls it, and tell us what all this is about,” sug- 
gested Frank quietly. But his eyes were shining. 
He knew that what Harry was about to com- 
, municate must be of deep interest from the man- 
ner in which the boy had spoken. 

“Yes, let us hear the story,” said Dr. Perkins; 
“since we plan to be down in that region, any- 
thing of interest to be investigated will add to 
the pleasure of the trip.” 

Thereupon Harry, without further delay, 
plunged into the narrative as Ben had related 
it to him. He was interrupted from time to time 
by excited exclamations, but at last he finished 
his narration and then, turning to Dr. Perkins, 
he said: 

“What do you think of it, sir?” 

“Aye, aye,” growled out Ben, “supposin’ the 
yarn is true, have I got a legal right to the 
stuff?” 

“Undoubtedly, if you have papers assigning 
the claim to you,” said Mr. Perkins, after a mo- 
ment’s thought. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 117 

‘‘Oh, Fve got them fast enough. I was goin' 
to chuck ’em away, but I thought better of it. 
Glad I did now, but you see I never thought I’d 
have a chance to go down there.” 

Ben reached into his pocket and drew out a bat- 
tered, brown leather wallet. From it he produced 
Raoul Duval’s promise to deed him his (Duval’s) 
interest in the supposed treasure chest, providing 
the loan Ben had made the mining man’s son was 
not repaid. He handed the document to Dr. Per- 
kins, who perused it with knitted brows. 

“This certainly appears to give you a legal 
claim to whatever may be of value in the late 
Duval’s effects,” he said. 

“Then you think it is worth looking into?” 

“By all means. While the story sounds fanci- 
ful to a degree, it is not much more so than 
plenty of recorded cases. At all events, no harm 
can be done by trying to locate the wreck, and 
it may be the means of rehabilitating your for- 
tunes.” 

“I dunno what that means,” grinned Ben, “but 


118 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


if it signifies that I'm to get some money out 
of the cruise, Fm willing right now to split it up 
any way it suits you/' 

‘'We can talk about that later," said Dr. Per- 
kins, with a smile at the old man's enthusiasm; 
“now would you mind letting me have a look at 
that map to which Harry has referred?" 

“Here it be," grunted Ben, once more diving 
into the wallet and producing the map that Harry 
had looked over on Barren Island. 

“At any rate, this looks definite enough," de- 
clared Dr. Perkins after a careful examination 
of it. “Of course, as this Duval appears to be a 
thorough rascal, he may have ‘cooked this up,' 
as the saying goes, in order to induce you to 
make him a loan. But certain things about it 
make me believe that it may be genuine. I recall 
reading some time ago a newspaper account of 
mysteries of the Mississippi, and among them 
was an account of the serious disaster to the 
Belle of New Orleans, so, at any rate, that part 
of the story is authentic enough." 


119 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 

^^Meanin’ it’s true,” murmured Ben. “Waal, 
if you’ll help me we’ll soon find out the truth of 
it, or otherwise.” 

“As I said,” rejoined Dr. Perkins, “I had in- 
tended to cruise up the Mississippi from New 
Orleans. What you have told us furnishes us 
with a distinct object in making the trip, and,” 
he added with a smile, “I suppose the spice of 
adventure about it does not displease the lads 
here.” 

Frank was about to reply when, from the wire- 
less table, there came a queer buzzing sound from 
an instrument which the boy had connected with 
his detector. 

“Hullo! some one is sending out a message,” 
he exclaimed, “and our wires have caught it. 
Wonder what it can be.” 

The boy rose and went over to the wireless 
table. Seating himself on the stool in front of 
the instruments he adjusted the “phones” and 
began putting his variable condenser in tune to 


120 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

catch whatever message was pulsing through the 

air. 

''What’s coming?” demanded Harry, as the in- 
struments began to crackle and snap. 

"Don’t know yet,” spoke Frank, again chang- 
ing the capacity of the condenser; "looks as 
if ” 

He ceased speaking suddenly. Sliding his 
hand across the table he made an adjustment to 
catch longer sound waves. Instantly a hail of 
aerial dots and dashes came pattering against 
his ear drums, like rain on a window pane. 

With startling suddenness Frank sensed the 
meaning of the storm of desperate flashes. 
"C-Q-D! C-Q-D! C-Q-D!” 

"Some one out at sea is calling us in distress !” 
he cried loudly. The others, brim full of excite- 
ment, rose and crowded about him. But Frank 
waved them back. 

"No questions yet, please!” he said sharply, 
and then bent all his faculties to catching the 
voice out of the black night. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


121 


CHAPTER XI. 

“good i.uck!’' 

The silence in the hut was absolute as Frank 
bent low over his instruments. Even Pudge was 
subdued for once. There is something thrillingly 
dramatic to the most phlegmatic of temperaments 
in the idea of a wireless call for aid. Across un- 
known miles the message comes winging through 
the air — an appeal out of space. 

Of course, the others could not catch what was 
coming, for the whisper of the wireless waves 
sounds faint and shadowy even to one with the 
“phones’’ clasped to his ears. But Frank’s man- 
ner showed plainly enough that, whatever was 
winging its way to his organs of hearing, was 
exciting to the last degree. 

Suddenly the boy switched to his transmitting 
apparatus. With his helix he began attuning the 
length of his sparks, while the snake-like blue 


122 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

flame hissed and crackled across the ''high-efli- 
ciency’’ spark gap. It looked like a living thing 
of lambent fire, as it writhed and screamed in 
response to the pressure on the key. 

‘'What's wanted? Where are you?" 

This was the message that went speeding out 
on the air waves from the aerials above the hut. 

“This is the yacht Wanderer, from New York 
to Rocktown. We have struck a derelict and are 
leaking badly. Who are you ?" 

“A station on Brig Island, about four miles 
at sea from Motthaven. Where are you ?" 

The latter question was unanswered for the 
time being. Instead came another query : 

“Have you any means by which you can get 
to our assistance? We are in dire peril." 

“We will try to aid you. But what is your po- 
sition?" 

“Wait, ril look at the chart." 

There came a pause, during which Frank rap- 
idly detailed what he had heard to the eager 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 123 

group of listeners. But in the midst of it the 
unknown sender broke in once more. 

“We are about twenty miles to the southeast 
of you, on an almost straight course. Can keep 
afloat only a few hours longer. Can you get tug 
from the mainland?’' 

“Impossible,’’ flashed back Frank, “but will do 
what we can. Are you at anchor?” 

“No, but the drift is very little. We are off 
soundings. Can you come to our aid?” 

Frank’s fingers pressed down on the key firmly. 
Rapidly he sent this message pulsating : 

“How many on board?” 

“Three. Owner, a friend and a hand.” 

“All right. Standby!” 

“Good-by, and hurry,” came out of the night, 
and then — silence. 

Frank disconnected his instruments and turned 
to the others. Rapidly he detailed the impending 
tragedy out there in the darkness. 

“Can’t we get to them in the motor boat?” de- 
manded Harry breathlessly. 


124 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

Frank shook his head. 

“Not in the time we have. They can’t keep 
afloat much longer, recollect. What can be done ? 
Is there no way we can help them?” 

“Yes, there is.” 

The words came quietly but in a decided tone 
irom Dr. Perkins. Frank was the first to guess 
the import of the speech. 

“The Sea Eagle T he exclaimed excitedly. 

Dr. Perkins nodded. 

“Yes. Here is our chance to test her in the 
service of humanity. She is ready for flight this 
instant.” 

“But in the darkness? How can we pick up 
this yacht?” 

“By the searchlight. Most likely the yacht has 
rockets. When she sees our searchlight she will 
send some up. That will give us her bearings. 
The general location of the craft we know.” 

“Are we all to go?” demanded Pudge. 

“Hardly,” rejoined his father, slipping into 
an overcoat, for the night was somewhat chilly. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 125 

though the air was calm. ''Frank and Harry, I 
need you two. You others await our return. 
Have hot coffee and food ready, as the survivors 
may be in need of nourishment.’’ 

"Aye, aye, sir,” responded Ben; "and now, sir, 
if I may give a bit of advice, lose no time in get- 
ting away. I’ve been in some sea disasters my- 
self, and sometimes every second counts.” 

"You’re right, Stubbs,” ejaculated Dr. Perkins. 
"Boys, get the Sea Eagle ready. I’ll bring along 
the searchlight.” 

While Frank and Harry hastened on their er- 
rand, Dr. Perkins got the searchlight out of its 
locker. It was a small but powerful one, con- 
structed so as to fit into a socket on the Sea 
Eagle's "bow.” Its light was supplied from a 
small dynamo connected with the engine of the 
sea-and-air craft. By the time the doctor was 
ready the Sea Eagle had been wheeled out of her 
shed, and Frank gave a sharp hail. 

"All ready, doctor !” 

"With you in a moment, my boy,” was the 


126 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


response, as the inventor hastened out into the 
darkness. 

The outlines of the Sea Eagle loomed up gray 
and ghostly in the gloom. Only a tiny speck of 
light showed in her bow by the steering wheel, 
where a minute electric bulb shed light on the 
compass. This light was obtained from a stor- 
age battery of peculiarly light construction, con- 
nected with the dynamo before mentioned. 

The boys had clambered on board as soon as 
the airship had been wheeled out of its shed. 
They extended their hands to Dr. Perkins and 
helped him on board. The searchlight was put 
in place and its wires connected to the storage 
battery. A snap of a switch and a sharp pencil 
of light cut the night. The appliance worked 
to perfection. 

''Now, then,’’ said the doctor, as he took the 
wheel, "the less time we lose, the better. Frank, 
you had better apply the buoyancy apparatus, as 
we must make an abrupt rise to clear the trees.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 127 

“Why not launch from the runway?’’ inquired 
Frank; “wouldn’t that be quicker?” 

“That’s right. I think it would. Head the 
prow round for the rails.” 

Willing hands pushed the Sea Eagle around, 
for on her ball-bearing supporting wheels she 
handled very easily, despite her great weight. 

Presently the craft was poised at the summit 
of the incline, ready for her rush downward. 

“Give her power !” cried the doctor. 

Frank seized the self-starting lever, and gave 
it a twirl. A pressure of his forefinger on the 
button followed, and almost simultaneously the 
motor began to thunder and roar. 

“Right here!” cried Frank. 

“All right. Hold tight. I’m going to apply 
full power.” 

Dr. Perkins jerked back the clutch lever as 
he spoke. There was a jarring shock, and then 
a downward rush through the night, the search- 
light cutting a blazing white path through the 
blackness. Down, down they raced at terrific 


128 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

speed. Suddenly the jarring movement ceased. 
The Sea Eagle appeared to glide upward as if 
drawn skyward by invisible ropes. As the craft 
left the rails, and began soaring to the stars that 
looked quietly down bn the exciting scene, a 
sound was borne upward to the aerial voyagers. 

‘^Good-by.’’ 

And then an instant later in Ben's stentorian 
tones : 


''So long, mates! Go-o-o-d luck!' 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


129 


CHAPTER XIL 
through the night. 

up and out into the night winged the great sea- 
and-air craft, the powerful motors working with- 
out a skip, and the propellers beating the air with 
a noise like the drone of a mastadonic bee — or 
more appropriately, night beetle. Above shone 
the stars, steady points of brightness in the dark 
blue canopy of heavens; below stretched the 
silent, empty sea, heaving gently. The air was 
calm and still, and the Sea Eagle cleaved her way 
through it powerfully. Dr. Perkins set the course 
at due southeast, and kept a careful eye on the 
compass. 

'‘What speed are we making?’’ shouted Frank 
presently. 

The inventor glanced at the aerial speed meter, 
a device of his own invention. 

“Close to fifty,” he shouted back, for, owing 


130 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

to the roar of the engines and propellers, it was 
necessary to raise the voice in speaking to any 
one at a distance. 

'‘Then we should be in the vicinity in half an 
hour?’^ 

“Yes; that is unless ’’ 

But Dr. Perkins broke off abruptly. The Sea 
Eagle had now attained a height of some five 
hundred feet, at which altitude he intended to 
keep the craft till they reached the vicinity of 
the disabled yacht. 

The cause of the sudden breaking off of his 
shouted remarks was this: Without the slight- 
est warning the Sea Eagle gave a sickening dip 
downward, and rushed toward the sea ; or rather, 
to those in the falling ship, it seemed as if the 
sea was racing up devouringly toward them. 

“Gracious, what's happened?" shouted Harry. 

But Frank was too busy with the engine to an- 
swer just then. 

“Power! Give me lots of power!" yelled Dr. 
Perkins. 


PLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 131 

But although Frank instantly opened up the 
motor to its full capacity of two thousand revo- 
lutions a minute, the downward rush still con- 
tinued. 

“The sea! We’ll be plunged into the sea!” 
cried Harry, in alarm, gripping a side support. 

Indeed there appeared to be good cause for his 
apprehension, for the Sea Eagle was falling like 
a stone flung into space. All this, of course, took 
place in far less time than it takes to describe 
or to read it. In fact, hardly had Harry shouted 
his fears before the Sea Eagle's “hull” — as we 
must call the hydroplane part of the craft — 
struck the water, and a huge cloud of spray flew 
high on either side. 

But instead of diving, the Sea Eagle shot for- 
ward over the waves, gliding over their tops for 
some time before Frank shut off the motor. 
Even then such was the “shooting” velocity 
gained, that the Sea Eagle still continued to scoot 
along until the young engineer, in response to 
Dr. Perkins’ instructions, reversed her propel- 


132 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

lers, and thus brought the craft to a speedy stand- 
still. 

''What on earth happened?’' demanded Frank 
anxiously, as the Sea Eagle lay still, bobbing up 
and down on the gentle swell. 

"We struck an air pocket. An empty hole in 
space where there was no ether to support us,” 
explained Dr. Perkins. 

"Gracious; I thought we were goners,” cried 
Harry, still a little shaky over the fearful sen- 
sation of the fall. 

"Had the Sea Eagle been of different construc- 
tion we should have dived as straight to the bot- 
tom as a loon,” said the inventor, "but the spoon- 
like construction of the bow allowed me to han- 
dle her so that, instead of the impulse of the fall 
being downward, it was diverted into a forward 
movement along the surface.” 

"Shall we go up again?” asked Frank, after a 
hasty examination had been made to ascertain if 
anything had parted or snapped under the strain 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 133 

of the suddenly arrested tumble through the air 
pocket. 

'‘Yes. We had better lose as little time as pos- 
sible/' was the rejoinder. "If you are ready, 
start the engine up, and we will try a flight from 
the surface of the water." 

"You want full power?" asked Frank. 

"Yes; but start up gently at first, gradually 
increasing to top velocity. I think, however, that 
we shall leave the water at about 1,500 revolu- 
tions a minute." 

The next minute the roar of the newly started 
engine prevented further conversation. In order 
to develop every ounce of power of which the 
motor was capable Frank had opened the muffler 
cut-out, and the uproar was terrific. Spurts of 
greenish flame spouted from the exhausts, and 
the acrid smell of burning oil and gasolene filled 
the air. To any one less accustomed than the 
Boy Aviators to the uproar of aerial motors, the 
noise would have been alarming to say the least. 


134 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


They, however, were too much used to such 
scenes to pay any attention to it. 

Faster and faster the Sea Eagle sped over the 
waves, till her keel barely touched the tips of 
the swells. Then suddenly the jerky motion 
ceased, and the craft, buoyed by its wings, began 
to soar upward in a steadily increasing gradient. 
Before ten minutes had passed they were once 
more on an even keel at a five-hundred- feet alti- 
tude, and bearing steadily for the southwest. 

Frank looked at his watch. 

'We ought to be getting pretty close to that 
yacht by now,” he remarked to Harry, who had 
seated himself at his side, and was assisting in 
attending to the lubrication and watching of the 
rhotor. 

"Fll keep a sharp lookout,” rejoined Harry; 
"they surely ought to hear the noise of our mo- 
tor and send up a rocket or wave lights, or some- 
thing, if they are in the vicinity. 

"That’s just what I think. Keep your eyes 
open while I watch the engine.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 135 

Harry peered out into the night, but as far as 
he could see nothing appeared but the reflection 
of the stars in the water to relieve its blackness, 
can’t see anything yet,” he said, after a 

while. 

‘‘Just keep on looking,” rejoined Frank; 
“there’s a chance that they may have drifted 
from the position they gave us.” 

“Well, in any case it would have been impos- 
sible for us to fly direct to the spot,” rejoined 
Harry; “this thing is a good deal like looking 
for a needle in a haystack, to my way of think- 
ing.” 

“I’m not so sure of that. If they are any- 
where within five or six miles they must hear the 
beat of our motor.” 

“Wonder why Dr. Perkins doesn’t switch on 
the searchlight. Hullo, there it goes now.” 

As Harry spoke, a fan-shaped ray of brilliant 
white light cut the night in front of the Sea 
Eagle, like a radiant sword. Hither and thither 
it swept over the dark sea; but it revealed noth- 


136 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


ing. All at once Dr. Perkins shut the search- 
light off. 

‘Hf they have seen it they will reply in some 
way/' he shouted in explanation to the boys. 
“Keep a bright lookout for an answer. I'll keep 
the Sea Eagle swinging in circles. We have 
been doing thirty miles an hour, and even allow- 
ing for the delay when we struck the air pocket 
we ought to be in the disabled yacht's' vicinity 
by this time." 

As the searchlight was extinguished Harry 
peered out into the darkness with straining eyes. 
Suddenly he gave a shout and clutched Frank's 
arm. 

“What's that," he shouted, “that light off 
there to the south?" 

“It's a lantern," cried Frank; “somebody's 
waving it." 

Dr. Perkins confirmed Frank's supposition, 
and the Sea Eagle, on her errand of rescue, was 
headed for the swinging pin-point of light in 
the distance. 


PLIGHT PGR A PORTUNE 


137 


CHAPTER XIII. 

A twkntie:th-century rescue. 

As he flew his craft in the direction of the 
feeble beacon of distress. Dr. Perkins once more 
switched on the searchlight. Its comforting 
beam shot across the sea, and finally ceased its 
swaying and centered on a strange sight. As a 
dark scene in a theater is illumined at one single 
point by the calcium light, so the search rays 
concentrated themselves on a striking picture of 
distress at sea. 

Framed in the circle of white light the boys 
could see a small gasolene craft, apparently up 
to the rails in the water. At any rate nothing 
of the hull but a narrow white strip could be seen, 
while, on the top of the raised deck cabin crouched 
the figures of three men. One of these had been 
swinging the lantern, but he ceased as the bright 
light from the Sea Eagle bathed the group in its 


138 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


rays. One single mast arose high above the 
pitching hull, and from it could be seen wires 
strung down to the cabin top. Evidently this 
was the wireless apparatus which had been the 
means of bringing the Boy Aviators and their 
friend to the rescue. 

The yacht could not have been more than fifty 
feet in length — a very small craft to be equipped 
with wireless; but her owner, if he was on board, 
must have been congratulating himself at that 
very moment on his wise precaution. 

It was but a few minutes after the searchlight 
had first revealed the Wanderer and her dis- 
tressed company that the Sea Eagle was swing- 
ing in a graceful, birdlike circle in the air above 
the sinking craft 

Frank seized up a small megaphone, which 
formed part of the sea and sky ship’s equipment. 

^^Ahoy ! Aboard the yacht !” he cried. 

'‘Ahoy !” came back the cry, with a note of in- 
credulous wonder in it, as well there might be, 
considering the extraordinary circumstances. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


139 


''Are you the folks we talked with by wire- 
less?'' called Harry. 

"The very same," was the shouted reply, "but 
who are you? Can you get us off this? The 
ship won't last much longer." 

"We'll get you off all right," exclaimed Frank 
comfortingly, and as he spoke Dr. Perkins al- 
lowed the Sea Eagle to glide down to the sur- 
face of the waves, alighting on the water about 
five hundred feet from the castaways. He at 
once headed the Sea Eagle round, and calling 
for reduced speed made for the sinking yacht. 

"Slow down ! Stop her ! Reverse !" he shouted 
in rapid succession, as they bore down. 

"On board the yacht!" hailed Frank, as they 
glided up alongside, "throw us a line." 

The desired rope came snaking through the air, 
falling across the Sea Eagle's bow. Harry 
bofinded forward and made it fast. 

"Now haul in," ordered Dr. Perkins, as soon 
as the propellers had ceased to beat the air ; "easy 
now ; we don't want to foul the wings." 


140 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

His order was obeyed; and before long the 
Sea Eagle's bow was scraping the side of the 
Wanderer, Fortunately, the sea was smooth, or 
the maneuver would have been impossible of exe- 
cution. As it was, however, on the easy swell 
that was running it was made with comparatively 
small difficulty. 

'Well, great Caesar’s ghost!” blurted out a 
stout, blond man in yachting costume, who occu- 
pied, apparently, the position of owner of the 
yacht, "if this isn’t the twentieth century with 
a vengeance. Just think of it, Griggs — rescued 
by an aeroplane!” 

The man addressed, a good-natured-looking 
man, almost as corpulent as the first speaker, 
nodded appreciatively. 

"We don’t really know how to thank you 
folks,” continued the stout man; "we haven’t 
much longer to stay above water, as you see. We 
hit a derelict at dusk, and stove in our port bow. 
The water came rushing in so fast that I had 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 141 

barely time to flash that wireless that you so 
providentially caught/^ 

'Ht was feeble enough, I can tell you,’’ Frank 
assured him; '‘fortunately, we were not far off, 
and so managed to catch your appeal for help.” 

The stout man was again warmly thanking 
his rescuers, when Dr. Perkins interrupted. 

"Suppose you come on board,” he said; "by 
the looks of your craft she is likely to take a 
plunge at any minute. I’d like to be able to cut 
loose from her before that happens.” 

Taking this hint, the stout man clambered on 
board the Sea Eagle with more agility than might 
have been expected from a man of his heavy 
build. This done he extended a hand to his 
friend, and then came the turn of the third occu- 
pant of the cabin roof to disembark. This third 
man was evidently, from his costume, a paid 
hand on board the Sea Eagle. He was slight and 
dark and foreign looking, with beady black eyes, 
and a not over-prominent chin. 

Directly all were on board. Dr. Perkins or- 


142 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


dered Frank to '‘cast off’’ from the sinking yacht. 
It was well this order was obeyed promptly, for 
hardly had the Sea Eagle been disengaged from 
the other craft’s side, than the Wanderer gave 
a sudden plunge, bow downward, under the 
waves. For one instant her stern upreared it- 
self vertically, showing the rudder and propeller, 
and then, as if by magic, the whole craft van- 
ished, to find a grave in the ocean bed. 

All this was seen by the searchlight, which Dr. 
Perkins had kept concentrated on the yacht while 
the last act of this ocean drama was being con- 
summated. As the yacht vanished a deep sigh 
broke from the stout man. 

"Good-by, poor old Wanderer,'' he said, 
"there’s an end of this cruise.” 

"I am sorry that she was not in a condition to 
tow to Brig Island,” remarked Dr. Perkins. 

"My dear sir, so far as the actual monetary 
loss is concerned it was fully covered by insur- 
ance,” responded the stout man; "my only re- 
gret is to see a craft I was very fond of end her 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 143 

days in such a fashion. Also, I am afraid my 
friend Griggs here will be disappointed at the 
failure of our cruise.’^ 

“Good heavens!'' cried Mr. Griggs, who ap- 
peared to be a highly nervous individual, “I'm 
glad to have my life, Sterrett — glad to have my 
life. If I don't catch my death of cold over this 
I'll be fortunate indeed." 

“In the meantime," struck in the man ad- 
dressed as Sterrett, “we are forgetting in our 
own troubles the debt of gratitude we owe to 
our friends here. In the first place, let me in- 
troduce ourselves. I am Paul Sterrett, late 
owner of the Wanderer. This is my friend, 
Samuel Griggs, and yonder," indicating the for- 
eign-looking third man, “is Francis Le Blanc, 
our cook and general handy man. We left New 
York on a cruise up the coast sometime ago, and 
up till to-night experienced no mishaps. How- 
ever, as my friend says, we must not repine; we 
should consider ourselves fortunate indeed to 
be on board your remarkable craft instead of be- 


144 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

ing in a watery grave, as we must have been had 

it not been for your opportune arrival/’ 

‘We consider ourselves fortunate to have been 
of service to you,” responded the inventor, and 
then went on in his turn to introduce himself and 
his party, and also give a brief explanation of 
the Sea Eagle, which had, as may be imagined, 
excited the liveliest curiosity on the part of the 
rescued castaways. 

“But as we shall now get under way without 
further loss of time,” he concluded, “you will be 
able to see for yourselves just how the Sea Eagle 
is controlled, and what she can do.” 

As he finished this speech, Dr. Perkins extin- 
guished the searchlight, which had still been play- 
ing on the oil-streaked waters which marked the 
burial spot of the ill-fated Wanderer. This 
done, he gave Frank the “come ahead” signal. 
Obediently, as usual, the motor began its song, 
and the propellers took up the whirring, buzzing 
refrain. Mr. Sterrett and his companions sat 
perfectly still in the positions in the stern which 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 145 

had been assigned to them. Had it been light 
enough to read the expressions on their faces 
one would have said that they were absolutely 
dumbfounded. 

Of course both Mr. Sterrett and his friends 
— as well informed men — knew the wonderful 
capabilities of the modern aeroplane. They had 
witnessed many flights, and in common with 
the generality of progressive Americans, knew 
the general principles of aerial locomotion. But 
when the Sea Eagle from a ''boat’' turned sud- 
denly into a hydroplane, they exchanged swift 
expressions of the utmost astonishment. Only 
their companion, the paid "hand” from the yacht, 
sat sullenly unimpressed. In fact, since he had 
boarded the Sea Eagle, he had not uttered a 
syllable, only mumbling his thanks when Mr. 
Sterrett and his companion had finished express- 
ing their gratitude for their rescue. 

Under the skillful guidance of Dr. Perkins, 
and the constant attention that Frank paid to 
the whirring motor, the Sea Eagle made a quick 


146 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

run back to the island, being guided, when she 
was still some distance away, by the ruddy glare 
of a big beacon fire lighted by Ben Stubbs. It 
was an instance of the veteran adventurer’s 
thoughtfulness and resource that he had thought 
of doing this, for in the hurry of the departure, 
no such instructions had been given him. But 
on his owm responsibility he had kindled the blaze 
which materially aided the swift return of the 
Sea Eagle to her eyrie. 

Reaching the island, the aerial wonder was 
sent swinging in decreasing circles, till Dr. Per- 
kins was sure of a safe drop to the workshop on 
the summit of the little spot of land, and then, 
with a breath-catching rapidity, the helmsman 
sent his w’onderful vessel earthward, bringing it 
to a stop within the ruddy glow caused by the 
blazing bonfire which had guided them. 

As the Sea Eagle settled to the earth the party 
that had been left behind on the adventurous 
night flight pressed to the side of the novel craft. 
i A glance showed them that the mission of Dr. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 147 

Perkins’ craft had been crowned with success, 
and Billy and Pudge began plying the returned 
voyagers with eager questions. Ben Stubbs was 
slightly in the background, and it was not till 
Mr. Sterrett and his companions had stepped out 
on to the ground that he got a good look at them. 

When he did, he gave a deep-drawn gasp of 
surprise. An expression of supreme amazement 
overspread his weather-beaten countenance. But 
his eyes did not fix on Mr. Sterrett or his com- 
panion, Griggs. Instead they traveled beyond 
the nattily clad yachtsmen and rested on the slim 
figure of the paid “hand.” 

“Raoul Duval, as sure as there’s a north star !” 
choked out Ben, half to himself, “waal, if this 
ain’t a small bit of a world !” 


148 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER XIV. 

ben's PI.AN STOLEN. 

For his part Duval was no less quick in rec- 
ognizing Ben Stubbs. At the moment, Dr. Per- 
kins and the rest were standing in a group a 
little apart, and discussing their adventure, while 
Air. Sterrett was loud in his praises of the Sea 
Eagle, which he described as the most wonderful 
craft on earth. Giving a swift look round to see 
that he was unobserv ed, Duval pressed a finger 
to his lips to enjoin silence on Ben, and then 
beckoned him to come a short distance out of the^ 
firelight. 

Ben; in wonderment as to this unexpected re- 
appearance of the young man who had exercised 
such sharp practice on him, obeyed the summons. 
But when he addressed Duval it was in an angry 


tone. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 149 

'‘What’s this mean,” he exclaimed, “how did 
you come here?” 

“As you see, by that air ship,” was the reply; 
“I never expected to see you here, however. I 
tell you, Stubbs, I’ve had a lot of hard luck. 
When those boys and that professor-chap res- 
cued us I had been compelled to ship as a deck- 
hand and cook on that yacht. Just think of it.” 

“A mighty good thing for you, say I,” grunted 
Ben brusquely, “a little good, honest, hard work 
will take some of the crooked kinks out of your 
brain. My recommendation to you, Duval, is 
to stick to that sort of a job, and in time you’ll 
learn to be a man.” 

Duval shot a look full of malice at the blunt 
old fellow. But his face was in the shadow, and 
Ben did not notice it. Instead he continued : 

“But I ain’t the one to bear a grudge, Duval, 
although you did come mighty near shipwreck- 
ing my faith in human natur’. Shake hands, 
mate, and for your old father’s sake I’ll do what 


150 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


I can fer you. I ain^t one to kick a man when 
he’s down.” 

Duval extended his thin, long-fingered hand, 
and Ben seized it in his rough paw and shook it 
with a heartiness that made the dark-skinned 
Duval flinch. 

'‘There!” exclaimed the old fellow heartily, as 
he relinquished his grip, "that’s all ship-shape 
and in good trim. Now let’s get back to the rest 
of ’em afore they see us talking apart.” 

"You’re not going to give me away to them?” 
asked Duval, almost breathlessly. "Sterrett 
thinks I’m all right, and may give me a better 
job some time.” 

"I won’t stand in your way, lad,” heartily re- 
joined Ben. "In fact, I’d like to help you get on 
your feet again.” 

"How about that plan of the location of the 
Belle of New Orleans?'' asked Duval, without 
paying any attention to Ben’s last remarks. 

"Safe enough in my pocket, mate,” replied 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 151 

Ben, tapping his worn coat; ‘‘why do you want 
to know?” 

“I wondered if you had investigated my 
story.” 

“No, I haven’t yet; but I don’t mind telling 
you that I may do so before very long. And I’ll 
tell you right now, Duval, that if we recover 
anything valuable from that wreck I’ll see to it 
that you get a good share of it, and then you can 
set up in business again and make a new start.” 

Duval expressed what appeared to be very 
deep thanks for Ben’s generosity. But, in re- 
ality, his thoughts were busy elsewhere. An idea 
had come into his head that was to bear strange 
fruit before very long. They joined the group 
clustered about Dr. Perkins without their ab- 
sence having been noticed. Billy and Pudge 
had seen to it while the Sea Eagle was on 
her mission of rescue that a good hot lunch 
should be ready on the return of the expedition. 
A few moments after Ben and Duval joined 
the others Pudge announced this fact, and the 


152 


THE BOY AYIATOBS’ 


party trooped into the hut, nothing loath, to fall 
to with hearty appetites on a good meal. Soon 
after they “turned in,” the boys insisting on the 
strangers taking their bunks, while they and Ben 
Stubbs put up with “shake-downs” on the floor. 

It w^as very late — or rather early morning — 
when they retired, and before long all were 
wrapped in the deep sleep of exhaustion. Ben 
was the first to aw’aken, to find the sun stream- 
ing into the hut. 

“Great guns !” he exclaimed, glancing at 
Billy’s alarm clock on a shelf, “it’s after seven.” 

Broad awake in a jiffy, he aroused the others, 
going from the floor sleepers to the bunks. Dr. 
Perkins, Mr. Sterrett and the latter’s friend w^ere 
awakened in turn, and it w^as not till then that 
Ben noticed that Duval’s bunk was empty. 

“Good fer him,” he said to himself warmly, 
“the yoimg chap has started to turn over a new 
leaf by gittin’ out early. I’ll take a turn outside 
afore breakfast and see if I can find him.” 

^ But Duval was not about the workshop, nor 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTTJXE 153 

did Ben’s calls summon him to breakfast. It 
was not till that instant that an ugly suspicion 
flashed into Ben’s hitherto unsuspecting mind. 
Without saying a word to the others he hastily 
drew out his wallet and, withdrawing to a corner 
of the hut, examined its contents. Instantly his 
suspicions were verified. 

The plan of the location of the wreck of the 
Belle of New Orleans was missing! 

Stifling his anger as well as he could, Ben has- 
tened to the beach. As he had suspected the 
moment he found the plan missing, the small 
skiff was gone. What had happened was as 
plain as print to Ben now. Young Duval had 
waited till all in the hut were asleep, then he 
had stealthily crept from his bunk, recovered the 
plan he had given to Ben, and had decamped in 
the small boat. 

“Waal, the dern scallywag!” burst out Ben, as 
he stood on the beach in the first shock of his 
discovery. 

In his anger he shook his fist at the strip of 


154 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


sea between the island and the mainland to which, 
he did not doubt, Duval had crossed in his flight. 

‘'The — the — precious scamp !” he continued, 
his bronzed features working, "and I trusted him 
as I would have trusted his dad.’' 

Shaking his head, Ben slowly made his way 
from the beach back to the hut. He said noth- 
ing of his discovery during breakfast, but after 
the meal he found a pretext for drawing Dr. 
Perkins to one side. To him he communicated 
what had occurred. 

"A good riddance of bad rubbish,” said Dr. 
Perkins when Ben, whose voice shook with an- 
ger, had concluded his story; "we are cheaply 
rid of him, Ben.” 

The inventor, while not a selfish man, was 
so wrapped up in the success of the Sea Eagle 
that, to him, the loss of the plan of the wreck 
did not appeal in the same way that it did to 
Ben Stubbs. But the old adventurer took him up 
indignantly. 

"Bad rubbish, as you say, sir,” he grated out. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 155 

‘‘but if that paper hadn’t bin worth something 
Duval wouldn’t have taken it. It’s good-by to 
recovering that stuff from the Belle of New Or- 
leans now.” 

“By Jove! I’d quite forgotten my promise to 
you,” said Dr. Perkins contritely; “but never 
fear, Ben, I’ll see that you are not a loser.” 

“It ain’t that,” rejoined Ben; “I don’t give a 
snap for the plan ; but it’s the ingratitood of that 
young whippersnapper that’s got me sore. I’d 
like — I’d like to find that wreck just to get ahead 
of him.” 

“Humph!” rejoined the inventor, “I under- 
stand your feelings. He has certainly treated 
you very badly. But possibly we can think up 
some way to outgeneral him.” 

“Don’t see how we are goin’ to do it without 
that plan,” rejoined Ben; “but I ain’t one to cry 
over spilt milk. It’s gone, and that’s all there is 
to it. The best thing to do is to forget it.” 

Frank and Harry, on their way to the Sea 
Eagle's shelter, were passing at the moment. 


156 THE BOY AYIATOES^ 

After asking the inventor if he thought it would 
be advisable, and receiving an affirmative reply, 
Ben called them over. As briefly as he could he 
told them what had happened. 

''Well, the precious rascal!’’ broke out Frank; 
"I thought there was something snaky-looking 
about the chap last night. Isn’t there a chance 
of catching him?” 

"Not such a slick rascal as he is, Frank,” re- 
joined Ben despondently; "no, the plan is gone, 
and gone for good — so good-by to that.” 

But Harry now spoke up, and to the astonish- 
ment of the others his voice did not hold a trace 
of the disappointment they could not help but 
feel. 

"Cheer up, Ben,” he said heartily, "and by the 
way you might just cast your eye over this and 
see if it looks familiar.” 

As he spoke he dipped a hand into his breast 
pocket and produced a folded paper. Ben, with 
a mystified expression, took it and opened the 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 157 

thing up. The next instant it almost fell from 
his hands. 

“Why! — why, by the glittering Pole Star!’^ he 
choked out, “iPs the plan itself!’’ 

“Not exactly,” laughed Harry, “but I think 
it’s a pretty good copy. You see I always liked 
drawing and that sort of thing, so when you 
showed me that plan I memorized it, and when I 
got a chance I sketched out this copy in case 
anything happened to the original. I think it’s 
good enough to take a chance on.” 

“Good enough!” roared Ben, “why, lad, it’s 
the plan itself. Now, then, if we don’t beat Mas- 
ter Duval to the Belle of New Orleans call me 
a double-decked, lee-scuppered sea cook !” 


158 


JHE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


CHAPTER XV. 

WHAT HAPPENED ASHORE. 

As Ben had surmised, Duval had waited till 
the boys and their friends were sound asleep, and 
had then, in accordance with a plan he had 
thought of the instant he set eyes on his kind- 
hearted friend, sneaked out of his bunk and, tip- 
toeing softly to Ben’s clothes, located the 
wallet and with small trouble or loss of time 
abstracted the plan of the lost wreck. During 
the evening the ingrate had heard a description 
of the island given to Mr. Sterrett by Dr. Per- 
kins, so that after taking the plan he left the hut 
and made for the beach by the path through the 
woods. 

Shoving off the skiff, he had taken up the oars 
and started rowing as fast as he could for the 
mainland. But what with the darkness and his 
unfamiliarity with that part of the coast, he had 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 159 

failed to land in the cove adjoining the fisher 
village of Motthaven, and had beached his craft 
a considerable distance to the south of the place. 
It was just growing light when the bow of the 
skifif grated on the sand, and Duval hastily 
scrambled out and started ofiF. His object was 
to find a railroad station and travel as far as his 
scant supply of money would take him from the 
vicinity of Brig Island. 

After that his plans were still vague; but he 
had an indefinite idea of getting to New York 
or some large town, and interesting anybody 
with capital to finance an expedition for the re- 
covery of the gold dust chest and the bag of 
black pearls that lay at the bottom of the Black 
Bayou amid the moldering timbers of the lost 
steamer. The utter depravity and black-heart- 
edness of this plan, and bis base ingratitude to 
the man who had aided him in every way, did 
not strike him. Instead, there was but one over- 
mastering thought in his mind, and that was to 
secure whatever treasure might be in the wreck 


160 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


as quickly as possible, and then vanish from 
America for some foreign country with his ill- 
gotten wealth. 

Busy with such thoughts as these, he hastened 
up the beach in the gray of the dawn, and find- 
ing a rough sort of path leading up the low cliff 
that overhung the beach, he started to ascend it. 
He had not gone more than a few paces, how- 
ever, before he saw, buried back in some trees, a 
rough-looking hut. 

Duval was hungry and thirsty, and, moreover, 
his long row, at such a feverish pace, had ex- 
hausted him. Determining to tell a story that 
would account for his presence in that isolated 
part of the coast at such an early hour, he made 
up his mind to apply at the hut for some re- 
freshment. His story was to be that he had set 
off on a fishing expedition and had lost his way 
and been wandering all night. 

'Trobably only some fool fisherman lives there 
who will believe anything I choose to tell him,” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 161 

he thought; ^‘these fellows are all as thick as 
mud, anyhow/' 

Musing to himself in this fashion, the rene- 
gade fellow made his way toward the hut and, 
coming to the door, knocked loudly on it. But 
there was no answer, and when, after repeated 
knockings, he could elicit no response, Duval 
determined that, as there appeared to be nobody 
at home, he would walk in uninvited and see 
what he could ''forage" for himself. 

The door was unlocked; in fact, it had no latch 
and hung crazily on its rusty hinges. Opening 
it, Duval found himself in an interior as rough 
and uncouth as the outside of the hut had prom- 
ised. A table made of old planks, seemingly 
flotsam from the beach, 'two soap boxes for 
chairs, and a rough sort of bunk, or rather shelf, 
littered with a pile of dirty old blankets, made 
up the furnishings. On the table were the re- 
mains of a meal, which had consisted apparently 
of roasted lobsters and fish. Two tin cups and 


162 


THE BOY AYIATOBS’ 


tin plates, with battered knives and forks be- 
side them, completed the table service. 

“Confound it all,” muttered Duval, “whoever 
lives here is as poor as a church mouse. Some 
miserable fisherman, I suppose, who has hardly 
enough to keep body and soul together.” 

He walked to a corner of the shack where there 
was a sort of cupboard contrived out of old 
boxes. He had guessed that this formed the 
pantry of the establishment. Sure enough, in it 
he found a loaf half consumed, and the remains 
of a roasted lobster, as well as some scraps of 
fish. He was too hungry to be particular and 
was just about to start eating when a quick step 
behind him caused him to start violently, drop- 
ping the food he had in his hand. 

But before he could utter a word the young 
man — or, rather, loutish boy — ^who had entered 
so quietly, owing to his being barefooted, stepped 
up to him and, raising a heavy oar he carried, 
dealt the intruder a blow that deprived him of 
his senses for the time being. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


163 


As Duval fell to the floor a man in rough 
fisherman’s garb, with a wrinkled, mahogany- 
tinged face and a tuft of gray whisker on his 
prominent chin, entered. 

“Why, Zeb, what’s up?” he exclaimed, in an 
astonished voice. 

“I found this feller snoopin’ about in here, 
pop,” was the rejoinder, “an’ I calkelated ter 
lay him out till we could find out what his busi- 
ness was.” 

“Good ernuif, boy,” responded the elder Dan- 
iels, for most of our readers must be aware by 
this time of the identity of the two newcomers; 
“but who do yer suppose he is? He’s dressed 
like one of them fancy sailors oflF’n a yacht.” 

“Dad, I figger he’s a detective sent here by 
them kids on Brig Island. That’s the way it 
looks to me.” 

“I guess you’re right, Zeb. Here, give me a 
hand to get him up on the bunk. By hickory, 
but you must have hit him a clip.” 

“Reckon I did land kind er hard on him, dad. 


164 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

but I wasn’t takin’ chances of his turning on 

me. 

The two worthies lifted Duval’s limp form 
and laid it, not over-gently, on the tumbled pile 
of frowsy blankets. This done, a sudden thought 
struck the elder Daniels. 

“Calkerlate I’ll take a look through his 
pockets,” he said; ‘'might rummage out some- 
thing worth havin’.” 

Zeb helped his father in this task; but aside 
from a small sum of money, and a collection of 
worthless odds and ends, they found nothing 
that appeared to them to be of importance*' - In 
an inner pocket Zeb came across the stolen map. 
Much mystified, he showed it to his father. 

“What do you think this kin be, pop?” he in- 
quired. 

The old man took it and knitted his brow over 
the document in a puzzled fashion. 

“By hickory, I kain’t make it out,” he con- 
fessed; “thar’s some riting in ther corner, 
though. Spell it out, Zeb.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 165 

Zeb, obediently, but somewhat laboriously, 
read out: * 

'Map of the location of the wreck of the 
Belle of Nezv Orleans/ That’s what it says ; but 
what does it mean ?” 

"That’s plain enough, ain’t it?” retorted the 
old man. "It’s a map of some wreck or other, 
but what does this feller want with it? That’s 
the question.” 

"Better ask him. He’s opening his eyes and 
coming to.” 

Sure enough Duval stirred uneasily, and threw 
up his hand as if to ward off a blow. 

"Don’t hit me, Frank Chester,” he cried out; 
"I’ll give back the plan I stole.” 

"Oh-ho! That’s the way the wind blows, is 
it?” muttered the elder Daniels, and then, ad- 
dressing Duval, who was now staring wildly 
about him, he said : 

"So you come from Brig Island, eh, my 
hearty ?” 

"Yes; but how did I get here? Oh, I remem- 


166 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

her now. I was looking for food and somebody 

struck me.’' ^ 

''That was me, I reckon,” grinned Zeb, "who 
are you, anyhow? Did those kids on Brig Island 
send you here after us?” 

I What with the effects of his blow, and his 
alarm at his position, Duval lost his customary 
caution. 

"I’m no friend of anybody on Brig Island,” he 
exclaimed, "but what do you know about that 
place, anyhow?” 

"A whole lot,” grimly rejoined the elder Dan- 
iels; "now, see here, my lad, you’d best make a 
clean breast of it. How did you come by this 
plan?” 

The old fisherman, who was pretty keen- 
minded, had guessed by Duval’s guilty manner 
that there was some mystery connected >^ith the 
document which he now flourished. 

Duval sat up on the bunk and pleaded for the 
return of the plan ; bj^tj^to iio avail. 

"I’m smart enough to see through a wall when 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 167 

there’s a hole in it,” said old Daniels; ‘‘now, see 
here, I reckon you ain’t no friend^of them kids 
on the island?” 

f Duval shook his head. He had, of course, no 
reason to dislike the boys ; but he was an arrant 
coward at heart, and saw that the men in whose 
power he was, hated the young dwellers on Brig 
Island. He therefore thought it good policy to 
affect to be of their way of thinking. 

“I’m no friend of theirs,” he said, rather sul- 
lenly, “but what’s that to you?” 

“May be a whole lot, if this plan is what I 
think it is. Now I’ve a pretty good idea that 
you come by it in no very honest way. Ain’t 
that so?” 

“I — I was given it,” stammered Duval uneas- 
ily, while Zenas’ little gimlet-like gray eyes 
bored him through. 

“That’s a lie,” rejoined Daniels easily; “come 
on, out with the truth, now. It won’t do you no 
harm, and may keep^pu ft^m the constables.” 

This was a shrewd move on Daniels’ part. 


168 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

DuvaEs eyes dilated with fear at the idea of 
coming within the reach of the law. Without 
more ado he blurted out part of the story of the 
lost Belle of N^w Orleans, and offered to let Ze- 
nas share in the prize if he should locate it. 
While Duval was talking the elder Daniels had 
leaned forward, consumed with interest. Avar- 
icious to a degree, the thought of the sunken 
treasure made him fairly burn with desire to 
gain it. 

“You’re sure that was a true story that feller 
give you?” he asked, as Duval concluded his 
story. . 

“I’m certain of it. I know for a fact that my 
father had a lot of gold dust and those black 
pearls with him on his last voyage, for he had 
written home about the fortune that he was 
bringing.” 

“Humph! Waal, your story sounds all right, 
and I don’t know but what you’ve come to the 
right shop to get some one to help you get at the 
wreck. I’ve got a diving outfit and a little 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 169 

money, and I kin raise some more. Now sit 
down and Zeb will get you a bite to eat, and 
well talk things over.’’ 

And thus was begun an alliance which was to 
prove a source of much trouble to the Boy Avi- 
ators and their friends in the near future. 


170 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


CHAPTER XVL 

0^1^ ON the: ‘^AIR route:.” 

In the meantime indignation was at white heat 
on Brig Island. Mr. Sterrett was for advertis- 
ing the disappearance of Duval, and offering a 
reward for his apprehension. He confessed that 
he had not liked the man’s looks, but had shipped 
him as help was hard to get at the time. Dr. 
Perkins agreed that it might not be a bad idea 
to communicate at once with the authorities and 
try to have the rascal captured. 

‘"But,” he added, ‘T am afraid he is too clever 
a scamp to fall into the clutches of the law very 
easily.” 

‘T am of that opinion, too,” frankly admitted 
Mr. Sterrett, ''but it will do no harm to do all 
we can to place him where he belongs.” 

To get ashore Frank had first to swim off to 
the motor boat, for the skiff, as we know, had 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 171 

vanished. He then ran the engine-driven craft 
in alongside some rocks that sloped down into 
deep water, and from that elevation the party 
embarked. A quick run was made to Motthaven, 
from whence a description of Duval was wired 
to the metropolitan police, and the local authori- 
ties urged out of their usual lethargy by prom- 
ises of a reward if Duval was found. Late that 
afternoon the search yielded results in the find- 
ing of the abandoned skif¥, and the discovery of 
the hut in which the Daniels had been living 
since the boys had instituted proceedings against 
them. 

Some evidences of a hasty departure were 
found, but no clews that would give any idea of 
whither the fugitives had proceeded. In fact it 
was only by piecing together some scraps of torn 
paper that it was discovered that the hut had 
been used by the Daniels as a refuge. 

‘Well,’’ said Dr. Perkins that evening, after 
they had bidden good-by to Mr. Sterrett and his 
friend, who had returned to New York, “well, 


172 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

in my opinion the less time we lose in getting to 
Black Bayou the better it will be, for, to my mind, 
there is little doubt that Duval means to forestall 
our friend, Ben Stubbs, in ransacking the 
wreck/’ 

The others agreed that this seemed highly 
probable, and Dr. Perkins made immediate ar- 
rangements for a caretaker to occupy quarters 
on Brig Island during their absence. This done, 
a return was made to the little settlement, and 
the next day final preparations were made for 
the adventurous trip through the air. The Sea 
Eagle was provisioned, and a light wireless ap- 
paratus installed, the stay wires being used as 
aerials. Of course the instruments were not so 
strong as those used at the shore station, but it 
was calculated that they had a capacity of about 
twenty miles over land, and forty above the sea, 
depending, of course, a good deal on the wave 
adjustment and the weather conditions. 

Twenty-four hours after the adventurers had 
started work on the Sea Eagle, the craft was 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 173 

ready for her dash. Ben Stubbs, Pudge Per- 
kins and Billy Barnes were to go to New Or- 
leans, there to await the arrival of the party. 
Their departure took place amid regretful wails 
from Pudge, who loudly declaimed : 

‘'Aerials and ant-hills! I don't see why we 
can't go by the Sea Eagle f' 

But Dr. Perkins’ word was law and he had 
decided that the fewer persons who took part in 
the test the better the chance of success would 
be, and as Frank and Harry were both experi- 
enced aviators he placed great reliance in their 
aid. The morning after the departure of the 
New Orleans-bound passengers the caretaker 
and his family arrived. They were honest folk 
from the shore, who could be trusted to look 
after the many valuable devices on the island, 
and keep curiosity seekers off till the party re- 
turned. For Dr. Perkins had decided to use Brig 
Island as a permanent workshop, and expected, 
if the Sea Eagle proved a success, to build many 
craft like her and dispose of them at good prices. 


174 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


The working of the electric fence was explained 
to the caretaker ; but he declared : 

'T reckon my old gun will do more to keep un- 
desirables off than any of them electric didoes.’’ 

There was now nothing more to do, the care- 
taker being duly installed, but to take to the air, 
in what was, at that date, the most unique aerial 
craft in existence. For the voyage, beside the 
provisions and extra fuel and oil, life belts had 
been provided, and not a detail had been over- 
looked. It was seven o’clock on a fine, breathless 
morning when Dr. Perkins gave the order, 
‘‘Start up the engines !” 

A thrill shot through both Frank and Harry 
at the words. Experienced in aerial adventure 
as were both boys, they could not but feel that 
they were embarking on the most adventurous 
undertaking of their lives. 

“We’re off!” cried Harry, as a quiver ran 
through the craft, and the motor roared from its 
exhausts, emitting clouds of mingled flame and 
blue smoke. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


175 


^^Yes; off on a fight for fame and fortune!” 
cried Frank, as Dr. Perkins threw in the clutch; 
and, with her propellers beating the air so rap- 
idly that they were a mere blur, the Sea Eagle 
shot skyward. 

In half an hour^s time, to the watchers on the 
island, the aerial craft had dwindled to a mere 
dot in the distant sky, and five minutes later she 
vanished from view. The boys gave many back- 
ward looks as they winged away from Brig Is- 
land. Despite their adventures, they had spent 
many pleasant days there, and it appeared to 
them to be almost a second home. Of all that 
they were to experience before returning to the 
island they little dreamed at the moment, but 
their hearts beat high with exultation as the Sea 
Eagle winged her way southward at forty miles 
an hour, and about five hundred feet above the 
ocean. 

They had been in the air about an hour 
when they encountered a situation which may 
become common enough before many years have 


176 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


passed, but which was an exciting novelty to 
them. Off on the horizon a liner was sighted, 
steaming toward the American coast. Before 
long they made her out to be a big, two-fun- 
neled craft, painted black, and with numerous 
decks rising above her shapely hull. 

^^One of the transatlantic liners that make 
Portland their terminal,'’ decided Dr. Perkins. 

''Shall I wireless them?” said Harry. 

"Yes, do so. It will be an interesting experi- 
ment, and besides will show how the apparatus 
will work.” 

Harry lost no time in getting to work. After 
a brief interval he "raised” the operator on the 
liner. Dr. Perkins keeping the Sea Eagle swing- 
ing in big, lazy circles while he did so. 

"We sighted you from the bridge half an 
hour ago,” flashed the operator, "who and what 
are you?” 

"The hydro-aeroplane Sea Eagle, bound from 
Maine for New Orleans. Who are you?” flashed 
back Harry. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 177 

‘^The Ultonia, of the Portland and Liverpool 
line, eight days out from England,’' was the 
rejoinder; ‘'have you got any American news- 
papers on board?” 

Now it happened that Dr. Perkins had brought 
some papers of the day before along in his 
pockets, and at Harry’s request he handed them 
to him. 

“What are you going to do?” asked Frank. 

“I was going to suggest that we dive across 
the Ultonia and deliver the papers,” said Harry; 
/“can we do it, doctor ?” 

“By all means,” rejoined Dr. Perkins, deeply 
interested; “flash them a message of what we 
intend to do so that they may be prepared.” 

Harry sent out the message and the operator 
flashed back a quick “Thanks,” adding the next 
moment: “Good-by. I’m going to beat it out 
on deck and watch you.” 

Frank, in the meantime, had done the papers 
up in a compact bundle and weighted them with 
an empty beef can. 


178 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


“All ready?'’ cried Dr. Perkins. 

“All ready, sir," was the prompt reply from 
the boys. 

“Then hold tight. Pm going to make a swift 
dive." 

The liner was now almost directly underneath 
the soaring Sea Eagle. Her rails were black 
with passengers craning their necks upward at 
the great, man-made bird. From her funnels 
poured clouds of inky smoke, while her sharp 
prow cut the water on each side of her bow into 
sparkling foam. On the bridge were uniformed 
officers, pointing binoculars and spy glasses aloft, 
for the operator had communicated the news of 
what the Sea Eagle was about to do. 

Suddenly the watching throngs of ocean trav- 
elers saw the Sea Eagle poise in air like a hawk 
about to pounce. Then down she came, cleav- 
ing the air like a falling stone. 

A great cry went up from the packed decks. 
It seemed as if the air craft must perish, that 
nothing could check her fall, and that she was 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 179 

doomed to plunge headlong into the sea. But 
in a flash the cry changed to a mighty cheer. 

Less than forty feet from the water the Sea 
Eagle was seen to shoot upward and straight 
toward the steamer. Like an arrow from a bow 
the great aerial craft shot whizzing above the 
liner's bridge, and under the wireless aerials ex- 
tending from mast to mast. Just as she roared 
by above the offlcers' heads, like some antede- 
luvian thunder-lizard, something was seen to fall 
downward and land on the top of the chart- 
house. It was the bundle of papers thrown by 
Harry. A sailor scrambled up and got them, 
while the crowded decks yelled themselves hoarse. 

Then the Sea Eagle soared up high above the 
mast tips, and Harry seated himself at the wire- 
less once more. Presently to his ears came a 
message from the speeding liner far below. 

‘'Captain Seabury wishes to congratulate you 
on the most wonderful feat of the century." 


180 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


CHAPTER XVII. 

AN AERIAIv ambulance:. 

Harry was about to flash back an answer to 
the message of congratulation when, suddenly, 
into the scene of triumph was injected a grim 
note of threatened tragedy. One of the passen- 
gers, a young woman who had been leaning far 
out over the rail of the boat deck waving a hand- 
kerchief of filmy lace and linen, was seen, all 
at once, to topple from her perch. 

The next instant, and while her shrill scream 
for help still rent the air, a young man who 
had been standing beside her jumped out into 
space without waiting to do more than strip off 
coat and shoes. The Ultonia was speeding ahead 
at the fastest gait her twin screws were capable 
of. She was a large vessel, probably some 15,000 
tons of registration, and her momentum was too 
great to stop her for a considerable distance. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 181 

From the Sea Eagle horrified eyes saw the ac- 
cident, and witnessed the young woman’s head 
bob up for an instant amid the frothy wake of 
the big craft. The liner’s whistle screamed out 
a shrill alarm, and men could be seen scampering 
to lower a boat, while life buoys were thrown 
overboard. 

But before anything more could be done the 
Sea Eagle took a sudden swoop, a swift dive 
downward, characteristic of the bird for which 
she had been named. 

The wonderful craft struck the water with a 
force that sent a cloud of spray boiling up about 
her, temporarily hiding her substructure and her 
occupants from view. 

''She’s sunk !” went up a moaning cry from the 
decks of the liner. But, no! An instant later it 
was seen that the Sea Eagle, an aeroplane no 
longer but a winged boat, was speeding as fast 
as her twin propellers could drive her toward 
the spot where the young woman had last been 


seen. 


182 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


Hardly a word, except Dr. Perkins’ caution to 
‘'hang on tight,” had been exchanged between the 
aviators from their simultaneous observation of 
the accident till the moment the Sea Eagle struck 
the water. But now orders came quick and fast. 

“Attend to the engines!” 

The order came from Frank, and Harry 
sprang into the place his brother vacated. 

Frank hastily buckled on one of the life jackets 
and then, as the Sea Eagle skimmed the water 
at a twenty-five knot gait, he scanned the seeth- 
ing lane of foam behind the liner. Suddenly he 
saw what he was looking for. A white, implor- 
ing face, crowned with a wealth of golden hair. 

“Save me!” screamed the girl who, although 
she had been swimming, was by this time too 
exhausted with the efifects of her immersion and 
the weight of her water-soaked clothes, to keep 
up any longer. Without an instant’s hesitation, 
Frank leaped into the water and began striking 
out with powerful strokes for the sinking girl. 



WITHOUT AN instant's HESITATION, FRANK LEAPED INTO 

THE WATER. 







FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 183 

He reached her side just as she was going down 
for the third time. 

In the meantime the young man who had 
sprung after her had also become exhausted, and 
would certainly have sunk had not Dr. Perkins 
headed the Sea Eagle in his direction. Leaning 
far out as they came alongside the struggling 
man, Harry grasped him by the collar, and then 
half dragged him into the hydroplane portion of 
the air craft. This done, full speed was made 
for Frank and the young woman. 

None too soon did they reach Frank's side. 
With the blind instinct of a drowning person the 
young woman was clinging so tightly to Frank 
that, strong swimmer though he was, he had 
much difficulty in keeping above the water. Dr. 
Perkins ordered the motor stopped as they neared 
the two, and allowed the Sea Eagle to glide up 
to them. Then both he and Harry bent all their 
strength to hauling on board, first the young 
woman and then Frank. 

By this time the liner's speed had been checked. 


184 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


and her officers were swinging her in a broad 
circle to the scene of the accident. A boat had 
been lowered and was heading for the Sea Eagle, 
but Dr. Perkins, snatching up the megaphone, 
hailed the oarsman and told them that every- 
thing was all right. 

This done, power was applied once more, and 
the Sea Eagle headed for the liner’s side. As 
if guessing his intention a gangway had been 
lowered, and all was ready for their reception as 
they came alongside. In the meantime the young 
man had introduced the golden-haired young 
woman as his bride, and himself as Stanley Tra- 
vers, of Portland, Me. To say that both he and 
Mrs. Travers were grateful would be not to 
state one half of their actual feelings. 

In fact, their expressions of appreciation took 
so long that one of the officers at the head of 
the gangway shouted: 

''This is a mail boat and we must hurry, 
please.” 

While this was going on congratulations on 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 185 

the plucky act had been shouted down from the 
uniformed skipper on the bridge and from a 
score of the passengers that banked the rails 
three and four deep. 

At last Mr. and Mrs. Travers, wet to the skin, 
clambered up the liner's tall, black side, and the 
boat was hauled up on the davits. As the big 
craft, dipping her ensign and blowing her siren, 
heaved ahead, a shout of enthusiasm went up. 
But it was drowned by the roar of the Sea 
Eagle's motor. Hardly had the propellers of the 
vessel begun to churn the water once more be- 
fore Dr. Perkins’ craft rose from the water like 
a white-winged sea gull after a refreshing dip. 
As the gallant sea-and-air ship rose, her three 
occupants waved their hands in farewell in re- 
joinder to the babel of shouts beneath them. 

'Well, at any rate, if the Sea Eagle never 
does anything more,” remarked Dr. Perkins, "she 
has accomplished a great deal.” 

"I should think so,” exclaimed Frank, who 
had slipped into dry clothes as soon as the Sea 


186 THE BOY AVIATORS^ 

Eagle took the air once more; ''it isn’t every 
craft that finds her baptism in life-saving at 
sea.” 

As long as they could see the Ultonia the big 
liner continued to blow her whistle, and doubt- 
less the eyes of all her passengers remained fixed 
attentively on the wonderful sky ship as she 
waxed smaller and smaller against the blue. 
That afternoon the voyagers found themselves 
ofif Cape Ann. High above the cape they flew, 
cutting off a good chunk of distance in this way. 
The folks in West Gloucester stared in wonder- 
ment as the huge air ship soared by high above 
the town, and when a short time later the avia- 
tors passed above the white-winged fishing fleet, 
every tin pan and fog horn in the flotilla of small 
craft sounded an enthusiastic "God speed” to 
the air travelers. 

Far behind the main body of the fisher craft 
lagged a small sloop, and as the Sea Eagle came 
closer to her the boys noticed that her flag was 
flying from the peak "union down,” a sign of 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 187 

distress the world over. The big hydro-aero- 
plane was flying low at the time, and it was easy 
to see, without the aid of glasses, that several 
men were running about the sloop’s decks and 
shouting something up at the air voyagers. 

‘'Shall we go down and see what the trouble 
is?” asked Frank, as he and Harry saw the signs 
of distress. 

“Yes,” decided the doctor, “no craft, either 
of the air or of the sea, can disregard such a 
signal of disaster. It will be odd if, for the 
second time on the very first day of our cruise, 
we are able to render aid to somebody who needs 
it badly.” 

The boys thought so, too, and as they dropped 
seaward the minds of all three occupants of the. 
Sea Eagle were busy with speculations concern- 
ing what could be the cause of the sloop’s dis- 
tress. Dr. Perkins caused his craft to alight 
gently on the sea a short distance from the sloop, 
and then headed her over the waves toward the 
distressed vessel. As they drew closer they could 


188 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


see a grizzled-looking fellow, in rough fisher's 
garb, leaning over the side. 

‘‘Come quick!” he shouted, “there’s been bad 
work going on aboard I” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


189 


CHAPTER XVIIL 

AN ERRAND OF MERCY. 

“What’s Up?” cried Frank. 

“Yes, what’s the trouble?” came from Dr. Per- 
kins. 

“Trouble enough. We sprang a leak two days 
ago, out on the fishing banks, and have been at 
the pumps ever since. Now we’ve got the leak 
stopped, but my mate, Joe Higgins, was struck 
on the head by the boom and is so mortal bad 
tiiat if we don’t get a doctor for him pretty quick 
I’m afraid he’ll die. Then, too, our provisions 
is run out.” 

While the man was reciting this catalogue of 
mishaps the Sea Eagle was run alongside, and 
Dr. Perkins made her fast with a line the man 
flung to him. 

“First let’s have a look at the injured man,” 
he said and, without further delay. Captain Zeb- 


190 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


edee Crooks, as he informed the travelers his 
name was, led them aft to a tiny cabin, stuffy, 
dark and reeking of fish. The boys followed 
Dr. Perkins into this wretched little den and 
Captain Zebedee lighted a sea lantern. 

Its rays showed them a heavily built man of 
middle age lying on a locker. His head was 
bandaged, and although he breathed he showed 
no other signs of life. Dr. Perkins, with the skill 
of a professional man, made a hasty examina- 
tion. 

''This man is badly hurt,'' he said at length. 
"I am afraid his skull is fractured, but of that I 
cannot be certain. He should be ashore in a hos- 
pital." 

"Ayel I know that," rejoined Captain Zebe- 
dee, "but at the rate we are going now we won't 
get ashore till to-morrow night, and by that time 
poor Joe may be dead." 

"I think it extremely likely," replied Dr. Per- 
kins, "but we must get him ashore at once." 

"What, in that sky schooner of yours?" 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 191 

Dr. Perkins nodded. 

^'Yes, we must get him on deck without fur- 
ther loss of time. Then we’ll rush him to a hos- 
pital.’’ 

‘'The good Lord who sent you here bless you!” 
exclaimed the rugged old fisherman, affected al- 
most to tears. ‘T never thought when I seen 
you away up thar in ther sky that you’d bother 
to notice the poor Star of Gloucester; but you 
did. You come down from the clouds like so 
many angels.” 

“Funny-looking angels,” remarked Frank to 
Harry, in an undertone. But Captain Zebedee’s 
gratitude was so heartfelt and earnest that 
neither of the boys could find it in them to smile 
at his odd phrases. 

Captain Zebedee summoned some of his crew 
from the deck and as tenderly as possible the in- 
jured man was conveyed from the cabin. This 
done, he was lowered into the Sea Eagle and 
laid on a pile of blankets already prepared for 
his reception. 


192 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


‘‘Better make for Bayhaven/' counseled Cap- 
tain Zebedee ; “there’s a good hospital there, and 
it lies right on the coast about in a straight line 
from here.” 

Dr. Perkins nodded, and then, having seen 
that the injured man was in a position to endure 
the ride comfortably, the flight to the shore was 
begun; but not till a substantial amount of pro- 
visions and some fresh water had been supplied 
to the fishing smack. As the Sea Eagle took to 
the air the Star of Gloucester was set before the 
wind, and staggered off on her slow course once 
more. The last the boys saw of the clumsy fish- 
erman, the stout figure of Captain Zebedee was 
leaning on the stern bulwarks waving to them as 
they winged shoreward. 

The coast was a rocky one, with gaunt cliffs 
and few habitations. But as they reached it and 
flew low above a small house on the summit of 
the cliffs, they spied a man at work in a small 
garden. Of him Frank inquired the way to Bay- 
haven. The man was too much astonished to i 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 198 

answer at first, and stood looking stupidly up at 
the winged monster above him. 

But finally he collected his wits and pointed to 
the south. The Sea Eagle was thereupon headed 
round, and, not long after, her passengers came 
in sight of a tiny town huddled in a cove almost 
at the water’s edge. Heading out seaward once 
more. Dr. Perkins dropped to the water in the 
harbor, and then at reduced speed ran the Sea 
Eagle up to the long wharf which jutted out 
at the foot of the little city’s main street. 

By the time they arrived alongside of the jetty 
half the population of the town was on hand to 
greet them. Their approach through the air had 
been seen when they were still some distance off, 
and as the Sea Eagle was the first air ship ever 
seen in Bayhaven it may be imagined what a sen- 
sation Dr. Perkins’ craft created. 

But all eager questioners were waved aside 
while Dr. Perkins and his young friends called 
for volunteers to help lift the injured man out 
of the Sea Eagle. A dozen willing hands re- 


194 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


sponded, and before long the mate of the Star 
of Gloucester was on his way to the hospital in 
a wagon which had been hastily converted into 
an ambulance. It may be said here that, thanks 
to the prompt manner in which aid had been se- 
cured for him, the man recovered after a long 
illness, and was able to resume his work on Cap- 
tain Zebedee’s ^ip, where he never tires of tell- 
ing of how he was saved by an aerial ambulance. 

Dr. Perkins accompanied his patient to the 
hospital, where he saw him comfortably settled. 
Ija the meantime Frank and Harry had been left 
on guard with the Sea Eagle, for the crowd had 
grown so large, and so curious, that it would 
not have been wise to have left the ship to the 
mercies of the inquisitive. The boys answered a 
perfect hailstorm of questions as good-naturedly 
as possible, but once or twice they had to use 
physical means to keep the younger element of 
the population of Bayhaven off the decks. 

By the time Dr. Perkins returned they were 
heartily tired of their job, and hailed his pro- 


FLIGHT FOE A FOETHNE 


195 


posal that they should go up to town and pur- 
chase a fresh supply of provisions, with much 
delight. Leaving Dr. Perkins to cope with the 
throng, the two boys, arm in arm, made their 
way through the press and set off for the main 
street, which sloped up from the wharf. One or 
two of the crowd followed them, gaping curi- 
ously at the youthful aerial voyagers. But the 
boys were too used to the curiosity of crowds to 
mind this, and before long their followers 
dropped back to gape at the great flying machine. 

They found the town a small, uninteresting 
place. There were several shops, a hotel, with 
the usual group of loungers hanging about the 
porch, and further back a canning factory, which 
gave employment, in one way or another, to most 
of the inhabitants of Bayhaven. Beyond the 
hotel was a big ‘'general store.’’ Entering it, the 
boys made a variety of purchases, and arranged 
that the goods should be shipped to the Sea Eagle 
as soon as possible. 

They were just leaving the place when out of 


196 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


the dusk — for by this time it was getting late — 
there came a figure that caused both boys to 
come to a dead stop in petrified astonishment. 
As for the man who had caused their sudden 
stoppage he, for his part, appeared to be non- 
plussed for a second. But the next moment he 
turned and fairly ran out of the store. 

''After him!’’ cried Frank; "it’s that rascal 
Duval!” 

"That’s what !” cried Harry, no less excited. 

Both boys, to the utter amazement of the store- 
keeper, who thought they had gone suddenly 
crazy, dashed out of the door of the emporium, 
and taking the steps outside in one jump they 
made of! in the direction in which Duval, for 
there was no doubt it was he, had vanished. But 
as ill luck would have it, the cannery whistle had 
just blown for the cessation of the day’s work, 
and round the corner there streamed a big crowd 
of the employees. 

It took the boys some time to work their way 
through the throng, for some of the men were 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 197 

inclined to tease them by stepping in their way 
and otherwise annoying them so that by the time 
they got through the crowd all hope of catching, 
or even sighting, Duval was gone. 

Greatly disappointed, and almost as much mys- 
tified by their sudden encounter with the rascally 
Frenchman, the boys decided to turn back and 
go down to the Sea Eagle. On their way they 
discussed DuvaFs sudden reappearance with in- 
terest. 

‘‘What can he be doing here?'’ wondered 
Harry. 

“Blessed if I know,” was the rejoinder, “but 
I’ll bet he’s up to some mischief or other. My! 
How he ran when he saw us.” 

“He had good reason to,” declared Harry; 
“I guess we’d have had him arrested if we’d ever 
caught him.” 

“Not much doubt of that,” declared Frank; 
“we could have charged him with the theft of 
that boat, anyhow, and that would have held him 


198 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


in the custody of the authorities till we could 
have obtained further evidence/' 

'‘Well, I don't imagine we'll see him again," 
decided Harry, as they turned into the Main 
Street. 

“No such luck," declared Frank. 

But, after all, the boys were to see Duval 
again, and sooner than they expected, too. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


199 


CHAPTER XIX. 

PI^UMBO FOUND WANTING. 

They were still talking in this vein when they 
reached the wharf. The crowd had, by this time, 
thinned out somewhat, and they made their way 
to the Sea Eagle without difficulty. They found 
Dr. Perkins talking with a most peculiar look- 
ing individual. He was long and lanky as a bean 
pole, and his thatch of bright red hair was 
crowned by a hat that a scarecrow might have 
disowned. 

‘Wonder who our new-found friend can be?'’ 
laughed Harry, as they clambered down a rough 
ladder to the Sea Eagle's deck. 

They soon found out. Dr. Perkins, it ap- 
peared, had decided to spend the night at Bay- 
haven, and had engaged quarters at the hotel 
which the boys had passed. The man with whom 
he was talking rejoiced in the name of Plumbo 


200 


THE BOY AVIATOKS^ 


Boggs, and was a village character. However, 
he was honest, though not overmuch endowed 
with brains, and had been recommended to the 
inventor as a reliable man to leave in charge of 
the Sea Eagle. 

Immediately Dr. Perkins had introduced this 
strange character, Plumbo broke out into rhymed 
speech which was a peculiarity of his. Some odd 
twist in his brain made it impossible for him to 
express himself in prose. 

“I’m Plumbo Boggs of old Bayhaven; from 
harm your air ship I’ll be savin’,” quoth he, 
striking an attitude. 

“Do you always talk that way?” inquired 
Frank. 

“Yes; Pm a poet, though you didn’t know it,” 
was the response. 

“Well, I don’t know that that will keep you 
from being a good watchman,” smiled Dr. Per- 
kins. 

“I’ll watch by day or I’ll watch by night ; you’ll 
soon find that I’m all right,” was the quick 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


201 


response, while Plumbo’s blue, rather watery 
eyes, flashed feebly. 

•‘That’s satisfactory. Mind, you are to let no 
one on board, under any pretext whatever.” 

“Pretext is a word that I don’t understand; 
but I’ll keep them off though they come in a 
band,” rejoined Plumbo. 

“How much will you do the job for?” asked 
Dr. Perkins. 

“Two dollars will be my price to stay here; 
pay it and then no trouble you’ll fear.” 

“I’ll agree to that,” said Dr. Perkins, “we are 
going uptown now. I’ll have your supper sent 
down to you and you are to remain here till you 
are relieved by us early to-morrow.” 

“I’ll stay right here, watchful and steady; 
you’ll find me here when to go you’re ready,” 
declared Plumbo. 

“And now that everything is well I guess we’ll 
start for the hotel,” said Frank, and not until 
both Dr. Perkins and Harry burst into a roar 


202 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


of laughter did he realize that he had caught the 
rhyming ''infection’’ from the poetical Plumbo. 

"Be sure and don’t forget my supper; I like 
pork and beans and bread and butter,” called 
Plumbo after them as they left the wharf, and 
he took up his vigil. 

"An eccentric sort of character, but I guess 
he’ll take good care of the Sea Eagle while we’re 
gone,” said Dr. Perkins. 

It was on the tip of Frank’s tongue to tell 
about their encounter with Duval; but the next 
instant he decided not to speak of it. Dr. Per- 
kins had several important matters on his mind, 
and after all, the boy argued, Duval could not 
do them any harm now. After supper the editor 
of the local paper called round at the hotel to 
elicit from the aerial voyagers the story of their 
trip as far as it had gone. He was also corres- 
pondent for the Associated Press, he informed 
them. Dr. Perkins granted him a careful inter- 
view, in which he described part of their adven- 
tures, but was cautious not to reveal any of 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 203 

the details of the Sea Eagle's construction. 
Shortly after the newspaperman had taken his 
departure the party retired, having left an early 
call for the morning, for it had been determined 
to get under way as soon as possible the next day. 

Bayhaven retired early to its rest, and the 
streets were deserted when, soon after midnight, 
three men walked down the main street, taking 
care to keep in the shadows of the buildings as 
they proceeded. One of the men was Duval, and 
the others were the Daniels, father and son. 
Their presence in Bayhaven is soon explained. 

As we know, the elder Daniels had offered to 
get money to finance the trip to the Black Bayou, 
and it was from relatives in Bayhaven that he 
calculated on getting it. The trio had arrived 
in the town the day before, and Daniels had 
promptly obtained the money as a loan, he having 
represented that the treasure was undoubtedly 
to be found in the long- forgotten wreck. 

They had been on the streets the day before 
when the approach of the Sea Eagle was an- 


204 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

nounced, and Duval instantly guessed that the 
oncoming air ship was the same that had res- 
cued him and his employers from the illfated 
Wanderer, Neither the Daniels nor Duval him- 
self knew anything of the destination of the Sea 
Eagle, nor did they guess for an instant that 
Harry Chester carried with him an exact dupli- 
cate of DuvaTs stolen plan. But their evil na- 
tures prompted them to do all the harm they 
could to the party, and it was with this end in 
view that they were making their way down the 
badly lighted and deserted streets of Bayhaven 
at such an hour. DuvaTs dislike of the boys had 
been roused to fever heat by their chase of him 
in the afternoon, and he was burning to do them 
some injury. From one of the elder Daniels’ rel- 
atives the rascals had learned that Dr. Perkins 
and his two young friends were registered at 
the hotel, leaving the Sea Eagle in charge of 
Plumbo. At once they had decided to visit the 
air ship and see what harm they could do it. 

Stealthily they advanced toward the wharf. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 205 

revolving in their minds as they went what they 
would do when they got there. 

“We’ll have to get that half-witted chap out 
of the way,” declared Duval, in a low tone, “or 
he may make an outcry and arouse the whole 
place.” 

“Leave that to me,” Daniels assured him; 
“we’ll fix him up all right.” 

“You don’t mean to hurt him? I don’t want 
to get mixed up in anything like that,” whim- 
pered Duval, who was somewhat of a coward, 
as we know. 

Daniels actually chuckled. 

“Waal, you are a chicken-hearted fool,” he 
muttered, “but don’t you be scared. There won’t 
be no necessity of hurtin’ this Plumbo. I can 
recollect him from a time when I was here years 
ago. He’s soft-headed and talks poetry. Them 
two things most allers goes together I’ve found.” 

Nothing more was said till they reached the 
wharf. It was dark and deserted, but in the 


206 


THE BOY AVIATORS' 


Starlight the dim outlines of the Sea Eagle could 
be seen as she lay at her moorings. 

“ril bet a cruller that chap’s asleep,” whis- 
pered Zeb, as they crept forward cautiously. 

‘‘Hope so. It’ll make our work a lot the eas- 
ier,” chuckled his worthy father. 

But the next moment they had undeniable 
proof that the watchman was not slumbering. 
From amidst the ghostly outlines of the Sea 
Eagle came Plumbo’s voice. 

“Who’s there so late? Answer up, mate.” 

“Is that you, Plumbo?” said the elder Daniels. 

“Yes, this is me, as you can see.” 

“How are we goin’ ter see you when it’s so 
confounded dark?” growled Daniels. 

“Well, what do you wish? To bathe or fish?” 
inquired Plumbo, ignoring this remark. Then 
he continued: 

“You’d better skip. You’ll not board this 
ship.” 

“That’s just what we came here to do,” re- 
plied Daniels, in an unruffled tone; “your mother 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 207 

is very ill and we come down to take charge of 
the air ship while you go home as quick as pos- 
sible/’ 

Now poor Plumbo’s love for his widowed 
mother was a matter of common talk in the vil- 
lage, and the cunning of the elder Daniels had 
suggested this scheme to him as they came along. 
It worked even better than he had dared to ex- 
pect. The rhyming watchman gave a gasp of 
pained astonishment. 

‘T must go home ; though I ought not to roam,” 
he said. 

'‘Make your mind easy about that, lad,” Dan- 
iels assured him ; “we’ll watch this cloud clipper 
while you’re gone. Dr. Perkins told us to stay 
here while you are gone.” 

“Pll go home in a hurry ; be back in a scurry,” 
declared Plumbo, who was completely taken in. 
His none too acute brain had been easily imposed 
upon by Daniels’ rascally trick. He scrambled 
up on the wharf and at once set off on a run for 
his home, crying as he went : 


208 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


'Watch every crack till I can get back/^ 

"Oh, go to the dickens while we get our pick- 
ings,'' growled out young Zeb Daniels, at which 
specimen of wit his father laughed heartily, 
though in a subdued way. 

"Now, then, boys," said Daniels, as Plumbo's 
footsteps died away, "get busy and spile this 
cruise for that bunch of fine gentlemen. We'll 
show 'em what it means to try to take folks' liv- 
ings away." 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


209 


CHAPTER XX. 

Frank's battff. 

It was about midnight that Frank, for no rea- 
son that he could explain, awakened with a vague 
feeling of uneasiness. Try as he would he could 
not compose himself to sleep again, but lay 
awake, struggling with a sort of intuitive sus- 
picion that all was not well with the Sea Eagle, 

At last, so strong did his conviction become, 
that, although he was ridiculing his fears all the 
time, he arose and dressed himself, and then 
started out for the wharf. For a moment he 
thought he would rouse Harry, who slept on an- 
other bed in the same room; but in the end he 
decided not to disturb his brother's repose. Per- 
haps he had a vague fear of ridicule, but at any 
rate Frank crept out of the hotel alone and made 
his way silently down the dark and empty streets. 

'‘This is certainly a fool's errand I'm going 


210 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


on/' he told himself; suppose that my reward 
for my pains will be to hear some more of 
Plumbo's poetry, and yet — and yet, I can't help 
it. I couldn't sleep another wink unless I was 
sure that the Sea Eagle was all right." 

Musing thus, and minimizing his own fears, 
Frank came in due time to the wharf. He made 
his way down it and was about to step forward 
to descend the ladder that led to the Sea Eaglets 
deck, when he heard something that made him 
pause. He recognized the sound instantly. 

It was the rasp of a file ! 

^‘My gracious! Somebody is tampering with 
the Sea Eagle!” exclaimed the boy to himself. 
‘‘My fears were not as groundless as I thought 
them, after all. I wonder if that rascal Du- 
val " 

The current of his thoughts was suddenly 
checked at this point by another noise near at 
hand. It seemed to come from behind a big pile 
of boxes on the wharf. 

“Goodness! What's that?" thought Frank, 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 211 

and then for the first time it flashed across him 
that if more than one man was engaged in the 
nefarious work that he was sure was going on, 
he was at a serious disadvantage. He had no 
weapons but his hands, whereas the others were 
undoubtedly well armed. 

'Til slip back uptown as quickly as I can and 
arouse the authorities,’' he decided, "if they are 
quick we can catch the rascals red-handed. I 
wonder what can have become of that fellow 
Jumbo or whatever his name was? I suppose he 
went to sleep or something. Well, it serves us 
right for leaving such an eccentric fellow on 
guard.” 

Frank, who had been crouching in the shadow 
of the very boxes behind which he had heard the 
suspicious sounds, rose quickly to his feet. He 
was just slipping off, congratulating himself that 
he had been unobserved when from behind the 
boxes a dark figure suddenly emerged. 

"Hands up, Frank Chester,” it exclaimed; 
"we’ve got you where we want you this time.” 


212 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


Daniels!’’ exclaimed Frank, dumb- 
founded with astonishment. He had not sup- 
posed the rascally young fisherman within miles 
of the place. 

''Yes; that’s me. Don’t move a step or you’ll 
get hurt.” 

But Frank’s indignation overcame his pru- 
dence. 

"What are you doing here?” he demanded an- 
grily. 

"None of your business.” 

"It isn’t, eh? Well I know that you are dam- 
aging Dr. Perkins’ boat in some way and ” 

Frank stepped deftly aside as Zeb, who was a 
far heavier, stronger boy than the young avi- 
ator, made a tigerish jump at him, at the same 
time brandishing a thick club threateningly. 

But Zeb’s sudden rush proved his undoing. 
Before he could recover his balance Frank had 
planted a clean, hard punch on the young ruf- 
fian’s jaw, and Zeb reeled back dizzily. He re- 
covered himself almost instantly, however, and 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


213 


without making a sound hurled himself at Frank 
once more. In a rough and tumble fight the 
sturdily built fisher boy might have been a match 
for Frank Chester, but Frank had already gained 
some advantage and he met Zeb’s frenzied charge 
coolly. 

Zeb, as he got within reach, let loose a tre- 
mendous swing which, if it had struck Frank's 
head as his burly young opponent intended, might 
have laid him flat. But to his astonishment Zeb’s 
fist met only empty air. Frank had ducked the 
blow with consummate ease, and the next in- 
stant : 

One! Two! — Crack! Smack! Two well- 
planted blows landed on Zeb's face and body. 
Frank was rushing in to complete his victory 
when he was suddenly seized from behind in a 
powerful grip and hurled to the ground with 
great violence. 

Zeb's father, on board the Sea Eagle, had 
heard the disturbance, and had swiftly and si- 
lently climbed the ladder leading up on to the 


214 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

wharf. Behind him, but at a prudent distance, 
came Duval. The Frenchman had no love for 
fighting, unless the odds were all in his favor, 
and he was by no means certain how many men 
might have attacked them. 

The elder Daniels took in the situation in a 
flash, and pinioned Frank’s arms, just as the 
latter was about to put an end to the battle. Du- 
val saw instantly that there was no personal dan- 
ger to himself, and while the elder Daniels held 
a grimy, leathery paw over Frank’s mouth to 
prevent his shouting for aid, Duval pinioned the 
lad’s lower limbs. Helpless as a baby Frank lay 
there on his back, completely at the mercy of 
three individuals whom he had no reason to sup- 
pose would handle him gently. 

While he still lay there a helpless captive, 
young Daniels came up, and doubling up his fist 
deliberately struck the helpless boy in the face. 
But the elder of the Daniels angrily checked him. 

''Stow that,” he muttered roughly. "What’s 
the matter with you?” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 215 

^‘1 wanted to get even with him/’ whined Zeb; 
‘'he licked me’ and ” 

"Waal, git even some other way. Bring me 
that rope off them pile of boxes while I make 
him fast.” 

Zeb said no more, but obediently fetched the 
rope, and before many minutes had passed Frank 
was bound hand and foot. Moreover, a gag, 
consisting of a dirty fragment torn from the 
elder Daniels’ shirt, was thrust into his mouth. 

"What’ll we do with him now?” demanded 
Zeb, when this had been done. 

"Humph, I hadn’t thought of that,” rejoined 
the elder fisherman; "we can’t leave him here, 
for we don’t want any one to find him when they 
come down, as they are bound to do afore long 
when that idiot Plumbo finds out that we’ve 
fooled him. What will we do with the young 
game cock?” 

"I’d like to chuck him overboard,” quoth Zeb 
amiably, staunching his bleeding nose with a 
dirty coat sleeve. 


216 


THE BOY AVIATOKS^ 


''Don’t waste time talking rubbish/’ angrily 
rejoined his parent; "see here, Duval, kain’t you 
think of something?” 

"Yes, I can,” was the eager reply; "it’s just 
occurred to me. Ho! ho! I guess that’ll keep 
him quiet for a while.” 

"Well, what do you propose to do?” growled 
Daniels. "Don’t stand there like an owl. Out 
with it.” 

"Well, my friend, you see those big barrels 
over there?” 

"Yes, what about them?” 

"We’ll put him in one of those and give him a 
sea trip.” 

"By Jeehosophat, but that’s a notion! I reckon 
by the time he’s picked up, or drifts ashore, he’ll 
be sorry he interfered with us.” 

"That’s a great scheme,” chuckled Zeb, equally 
delighted. "That’s what I call getting even in 
good shape.” 

"Hold on a minute ; how’s the tide ?” murmured 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 217 

Daniels. ‘We don’t want him to be picked up too 
quick.” 

“The tide’s running out, pop,” said Zeb, after 
a minute; “I tell you, though, what’s the matter 
with putting the barrel in that dory there and 
then loading him in it? We can row out a ways 
and then dump him overside.” 

“That’s the best idea yet,” warmly approved 
his worthy parent; “come on, boys, tumble the 
barrel into that dory. Lively, now !” 

The barrel, quite a big one, which had been 
used for salting down fish and was quite water- 
tight, was lowered into the dory that Zeb’s sharp 
eyes had spied with some difficulty. 

Frank had watched the movements of his cap- 
tors as well as he could in the darkness; but he 
was quite unable to guess what all this meant, 
which, perhaps, was just as well. As the conver- 
sation had been carried on in whispers, he had 
not overheard a syllable of the rascally plan to 
set him adrift out of pure malice. 

Still bound and gagged, he was lowered into 


218 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


the dory, unable to call out or move, despite the 
now serious alarm he felt. What could the men 
be going to do with him, he wondered, and was 
still busy speculating on his probable fate when 
Zeb and his father cast off the dory and, with 
rapid strokes, began to row toward the mouth of 
the harbor on which Bayhaven is situated. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


219 


CHAPTER XXL 

A RASCAivivY Trick. 

While all this had been occurring on the wharf 
Plumbo Boggs had discovered the deception that 
had been practiced on him, and was hastening 
as fast as he could to the hotel. Even he, whose 
mind could not be called quick acting, realized 
that he was the victim of a trick, the object of 
which was, in all probability, to injure the Sea 
Eagle. 

Arousing the night clerk, Plumbo begged to 
be directed to Dr. Perkins’ room. The night 
clerk knew the eccentric character, and lost no 
time in escorting him to the doctor’s quarters. 
Plumbo thundered on the door with noise suffi- 
cient to arouse the other guests. 

'‘What is it? What’s happened?” shouted Dr. 
Perkins, thinking for an instant that the place 
must be on fire at least. 


220 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

''Oh, doctor, come quick! TheyVe played us 
a trick!’’ yelled Plumbo. 

"Who? Where? What do you mean?” ex- 
claimed Dr. Perkins, coming to the door. 

"Two men and a lad ; they’ve fooled me bad.” 

"Do you mean that they persuaded you to 
leave the Sea Eagle alone and unguarded?” 

"They told me a story to get me from there ; or 
I’d have given your air ship the best of good 
care,” pleaded Plumbo, seriously alarmed at the 
angry look that had come over the doctor’s face. 
"Don’t be angry with me, I pray; if they hurt 
it I’ll ask you no pay.” 

"As if that would help,” cried Dr. Perkins 
angrily; "wait there till I get some clothes on.” 

He retreated into the room and as he hastily 
donned some garments he wondered who the 
men could be who had induced the soft-witted 
poet to leave his position of trust. 

"For the life of me I can’t imagine who they 
can be,” he was thinking, while he hurriedly 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 221 

laced his shoes, when the door opened and in 
walked Harry fully dressed. 

'H heard the noise in the corridor, and heard 
Plumbo telling you that something had happened 
to the Sea Eagle” he said excitedly. 

don’t know that anything has happened 
yet,” cried Dr. Perkins anxiously; ‘H’m hoping 
not. But from what I can gather from Plumbo’s 
foolish talk three men induced him, on some pre- 
text, to leave the ship unguarded. I must say it 
looks suspicious. But I cannot think who there 
is in this place where we are unknown who would 
want to harm us.” 

The thought of Duval flashed across Harry’s 
mind. He and Frank had decided not to tell 
Dr. Perkins about their encounter lest it should 
worry him; but surely the time to tell about it 
had come now. 

‘'We ought to have told you,” he said, rather 
falteringly, “but we did not want to cause you 
undue anxiety, — we saw Duval this afternoon.” 
“What!” 


222 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

Dr. Perkins almost shouted the question, or 
rather exclamation, in a thunderstruck tone. 

“Yes. We tried to catch him, but he escaped 
us. Frank can tell you all about it. By the way, 
where is Frank?” 

“Isn’t he in your room?” 

“No; when I was awakened by the noise in 
the passage I saw that his bed was empty. I 
supposed that he had got out of bed ahead of me 
and had come in here.” 

“I haven’t seen him since we retired.” 

“Then where can he be?” 

The inventor and the boy aviator stared at 
each other for an instant. 

“Good gracious, this looks serious, indeed,” 
exclaimed Dr. Perkins; “not in his room, and 
not in the hotel, apparently. Where can he have 
gone to?” 

“That’s what’s worrying me,” cried Harry, in 
a rather quavering tone; “I’m sure, perfectly 
sure, that that rascal Duval knows something 
about him wherever he is. Maybe he heard some 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 223 

word of a plot to injure the Sea Eagle and has 
gone down to see if he can frustrate it. Du- 
val ’’ 

*‘Yes; but Duval, if it is he, is not alone in this 
thing. Plumbo says there were two men and a 
lad.’’ 

‘'Two men and a lad,” cried Harry joyously, 
“then the lad must have been Frank.” 

“But who could the others have been? They 
all came together and sent our watchman away.” 

“It’s all a deep mystery, doctor. I think our 
best plan is to make all the speed we can to the 
wharf. Perhaps we can find some solution 
there.” 

“Yes; let us do so at once. I am all ready, 
are you?” 

“Yes; I hurried to get dressed as soon as I 
heard the noise in the corridor.” 

Plumbo was waiting, and as they hastened 
down the street he explained in his odd rhyming 
speech just what had happened. He could not 
describe the men except to say that one had 


224 


THE BOY AYIATOES’ 


whiskers on his chin. In a part of the country 
where this is a favorite facial adornment this 
information was not much of a clew. 

It took the alarmed party much less time to 
reach the wharf than they would have thought 
was possible. In fact, almost the whole distance 
was traversed at a run. But when they arrived 
at the wharf and a lantern, which Dr. Perkins 
had had the foresight to bring along, had been 
kindled, they found nothing to inform them as 
to what had taken place. The doctor had not 
expected to find Plumbo's three men there, but 
he had had an idea that he would find something 
damaged about the Sea Eagle. But as careful 
an examination as it was possible to make by 
lamplight failed to reveal any trace of damage. 

Naturally this, instead of helping to clear the 
mystery, only deepened it. What object could 
the men have had who had sent Plumbo off on 
his wild goose chase if it had not been to wreak 
injury to the Sea Eagle? 

“Maybe they were some inventors who wanted 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 225 

to steal your ideas/’ suggested Harry, recalling 
some experiences of their own with unscrupu- 
lous aviators. 

But Dr. Perkins shook his head. 

“Every important feature of the Sea Eagle 
is fully covered by patents,” he said; “there isn’t 
a single idea they could appropriate in the short 
time they could have spent here anyhow.” 

Harry had to admit that this was so, but to 
tell the truth his thoughts were centered more 
on Frank and on the strange circumstances sur- 
rounding his disappearance than they were on the 
Sea Eagle. 

“I’m as certain as that daylight will come again 
that Frank fits into this mix-up somewhere,” he 
said, voicing his thoughts, “but the question is 
where?” 

“Well, he’s not here now, that’s certain,” de- 
clared Dr. Perkins. “I propose that we should 
return to the hotel now that we have discovered 
that no damage has been done. He may meet 
us there.” 


226 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


'‘Let’s search the wharf first,” said Harry, but, 
naturally, even their painstaking search failed 
to reveal any trace of Frank’s fate till, all at 
once, Harry, who was carrying the lantern, came 
upon his brother’s cap lying where it had fallen 
in the scuffle among the boxes. 

The bit of headgear had been kicked close to 
the string-piece of the wharf, and a fearful fear 
that made Harry’s head swim shot into his mind. 
Could Frank have come down to the wharf, sus- 
pecting mischief was on foot, and have either 
fallen or been thrown into the water? 

"Look — look here, sir,” he exclaimed in a 
shaking voice, as Dr. Perkins asked him what 
was the matter. 

"What is it?” asked the doctor, coming for- 
ward. "A clew?” 

"Yes; it’s — it’s Frank’s cap, doctor. Pray 
heaven no harm has befallen him.” 

"If it has, swift vengeance is going to over- 
take somebody,” declared Dr. Perkins, clenching 
his hands ; "where did you find the cap ?” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 227 

''Close to the string-piece. You — ^you don’t 
think he could have fallen over?” 

"Nonsense,” declared Dr. Perkins with a con- 
fidence he was far from feeling; "we’ll get him 
back again safe and sound, never fear.” 

But Harry’s heart sank as he fingered his 
brother’s cap. 

"I’m trying to think so, too, sir,” he said mis- 
erably; "but — but ” 

He paused abruptly, for he could not have 
gone further without breaking down. Harry 
had gone through some anxious moments in his 
life, but never had his heart sunk so low as it 
did that night on the Bayhaven wharf. 

In the meantime, let us see how it was faring 
with the boy whose disappearance had caused 
such cruel fears — fears which even the vengeful 
tempers of Daniels and his son would have been 
satisfied with. We left Frank gagged and bound 
on the bottom of the dory, while Zeb and his 
father were pulling with strong, swift strokes 
for the open water. 


228 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


The dory shot swiftly and silently seaward, 
with Frank completely in the dark as to what 
was to be his fate.^ It occurred to him, though, 
that perhaps they meant to maroon him on some 
island. This thought did not give him so much 
anxiety as might have been expected, for he 
knew that the waters about Bayhaven were fairly 
populous with boats, and did not suppose that his 
captors meant to keep him a prisoner any longer 
time than would be necessary for them to take 
their departure from that part of the coast be- 
fore the authorities could be notified. 

Imagine, then, his thrill of surprise when the 
boat suddenly stopped and the barrel, into which 
some big stones had been thrown to keep it up- 
right in the water, was lowered from the dory. 
This done, Frank was lifted by main force and 
placed in it. 

A brutal laugh broke from Zeb and his father 
as they shoved the barrel containing its helpless 
captive away from the side of the dory. Duval 
said nothing, but his white teeth showed in a 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 229 

grin in the starlight. Frank, gagged as he was, 
could not utter a word or move a limb. He could 
only realize, with dumb agony, the terrible na- 
ture of his fate. 

Still laughing, the brutal rascals who had con- 
ceived the idea of setting him adrift, rowed off 
at a quick rate, leaving the barrel and its help- 
less occupant bobbing up and down on the swells 
of the starlit sea. 


230 


THE BOY AVIATOKS^ 


CHAPTER XXII. 
re:unite:d! 

Frapk's heart sank as he cast a look about him 
and perceived the helplessness of his position. 

'Tf I could only get this gag off and shout for 
help/’ he thought, ''maybe somebody would hear 
me.” 

But there seemed to be no means of compassing 
this end, try as he would to think of some way. 
All at once, as the stars were beginning to fade 
and a faint flush of gray appeared in the east, 
he perceived a nail sticking up on the rim of the 
barrel. This gave him an idea. By bending 
slightly he would be able to bring the edge of the 
gag against the sharp pointed bit of metal, and 
possibly tear it out. At any rate, it was worth 
trying, and Frank at once proceeded to put his 
plan into action. 

It was a hard job to bend low enough to bring 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 231 

his mouth on a level with the nail, but fortunately 
the barrel was a large one, and consequently he 
had not so very far to stoop. By making a des- 
perate effort he succeeded at last in dragging the 
gag across the nail. In doing this he scratched 
his chin, but he did not mind that, for the nail 
caught and held the rag, tearing it out of his 
mouth as he moved his head. 

‘'Hurray!’’ breathed Frank, inhaling a great 
lungful of fresh air. “Now I can at least make 
a racket, and maybe that will bring some one.” 

With all his might he began shouting for help. 
In the still morning air his voice carried clearly 
across the water, and to the lad’s huge delight it 
was not long before he perceived, coming toward 
him a small fishing boat, which, from the “chug- 
ging” sound it made, was evidently furnished 
with a gasolene engine. 

But the question that now agitated the boy 
was, “Would they see him or hear his voice above 
the loud noise of the motor?” If they did not, 
Frank realized that his plight would pass from a 


232 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


serious to a desperate state, for the barrel was, 
by this time, caught in a current which was rap- 
idly increasing the distance between himself and 
the shore. 

To his intense relief, however, he saw the fish- 
ing boat suddenly change her course, and before 
long she was close enough for him to read the 
name ''T wo Sisters” on her broad, bluff bow. 

“Waal, by the tarnal!’’ came a gruff voice, 
“who and what are yer out here in a baVl 

The speaker, a burly-looking fellow, with a 
rough but kindly countenance, regarded Frank’s 
face, which was all that was visible of him, with 
the most intense astonishment, as well he might. 
In a long experience off shore, covering all sorts 
of adventures. Captain Elihu Carney of the Two 
Sisters had never before beheld a floating barrel 
with a human head projecting from it. 

“It’s a kid — a boy!” shouted one of his mates 
from the stern of the Two Sisters, where he held 
the tiller. 

“Crack-e-e I so it air. Hey, kid, what yer doin’ 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 233 

out here? Takin’ a cruise, or is this one of them 
new-fangled health cures?'’ 

‘‘It's neither, I assure you," cried Frank; “get 
me out of this and I’ll tell you all about it." 

“I'll run alongside and you can climb out." 

“No, I can't," returned Frank; “I'm bound 
hand and foot." 

“What! Say, you be'ant one of them movin' 
picter fellers makin' a fillum be yer?" 

Captain Carney's rugged face held a look full 
of suspicion. Once not long before his boat had 
been boarded by a beauteous maiden, apparently 
fleeing from a band of desperadoes. The gallant 
captain had fished her out of the dory in which 
she was rowing from her pursuers and had 
threatened the apparent rascals with all sorts of 
dire things. Then to his chagrin a voice had 
hailed him : 

“Hey, you old mossback! You've spoiled a 
grind!" 

A “grind" being moving picture language for 
a film. 


234 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


'T certainly am not/’ returned Frank indig- 
nantly; ''no moving pictures about this, I can 
tell you. This is the real thing.” . 

"Waal, as I don’t see no camera about I 
reckon it’s all right. Put her head round, Eph, 
and we’ll pick him up, but 'once bitten twice shy,’ 
you know.” 

Eph, the helmsman, brought the bow of the 
Two Sisters round and slowed up the engine. A 
minute later the fishing boat’s side was scraping 
the barrel, and Captain Carney’s muscular arms 
lifted Frank out of his floating prison as if he 
had been an infant. 

"Waal, I’ll be double decked consarned!” he 
roared, as he saw the ropes that confined the 
boy’s limbs. "Who done this?” 

"Some rascals who had good cause to wish 
me harm,” said Frank. "I suppose they thought 
they could get rid of me while they made their 
escape.” 

"What’s the world cornin’ to?” cried the rugged 
skipper, throwing up his hands. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 235 

He reached into his belt for a tarry sailor’s 
knife and cut Frank loose in a few strokes of 
the keen blade. But the boy was so stiff from 
loss of circulation that it was some time before 
he recovered the use of his limbs. The Two Sis- 
ters, it turned out, was headed for Bayhaven, to 
which port she belonged, but so far had Frank 
drifted in his — or rather somebody else’s barrel — 
that he was able to tell his whole story before 
the wharf was reached. 

As they neared it the skipper ordered Eph to 
blow the compressed air whistle so as to apprise 
every one ashore that something unusual was 
happening. Among the crowd that hastened to 
the wharf in response to the frenzied tooting 
Frank recognized Dr. Perkins and Harry. As 
they drew close he saw how white and strained 
their faces were, and realized what anxiety they 
must have been through on his account. He 
shouted loudly, and at the sound of his voice 
both Harry and the staid inventor set up a series 
of cheers that drowned the tooting of the whistle. 


236 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


As for Plumbo Boggs, who was also on the 
wharf, he burst into rhyme at once. 

“Home again! home again from the stormy 
sea ; now that your chum is found all right, don’t 
blame me!” 

So saying he capered about, snapping his fin- 
gers and performing a dozen odd antics while 
the Two Sisters was making fast. Without wait- 
ing for Frank, who was still stiff and sore, to 
come up on the wharf, Harry and Dr. Perkins 
jumped to the deck of the Two Sisters, and the 
former fairly threw his arms about his brother’s 
neck. 

“If you only knew how glad I am you have 
come back,” he exclaimed. 

“What ever happened to you?” demanded Dr. 
Perkins. 

“It’s a long story,” said Frank, “and I’m fam- 
ished. Suppose we ask Captain Carney and Eph 
to breakfast with us and while we are eating I’ll 
tell you all about it.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


237 


CHAPTER XXIIL 

OFF ONCE more. 

As our readers are fully acquainted with 
Frank’s adventure it would only be tedious to 
relate all that took place at the breakfast. It 
may be said, however, that both Captain Carney 
and his mate received a substantial recognition 
of their services, from Dr. Perkins, in the form 
of a check. At first the bluff fishermen were by 
no means willing to take pay for what they had 
done, but were finally prevailed upon to accept 
the present, which, as Captain Carney owned, 
‘Vould come in mighty handy.” 

After the conclusion of the meal all hands 
adjourned to the wharf, and a thorough exami- 
nation was made once more of the Sea Eagle, 
with the object of detecting any damage which 
the Daniels and Duval might have done her, and 
which might have been overlooked in the lamp- 


238 


THE BOY AYIATOES’ 


light investigation made by Dr. Perkins and 
Harry. A bright spot was found on one of the 
metal braces. Undeniably it had been done by 
the teeth of a file, but it was only a superficial 
damage, which did not affect the strength of the 
Sea Eagle in any way. 

guess Frank scared them away before they 
had time to do any more harm,’’ was Dr. Perkins’ 
conclusion ; but later on he was to have a differ- 
ent opinion. 

As things were at present, however. Dr. Per- 
kins felt no hesitation in declaring the Sea Eagle 
fit to resume her voyage without further delay. 
The fresh provisions being on board, and there 
being nothing to prevent an immediate start, the 
voyagers at once made ready for a continuance 
of the trip which, so far, had proved so packed 
with adventure. 

The gasolene tank was refilled, and the emer- 
gency receptacles for the liquid fuel seen to. 
Plumbo Boggs was paid and instructions left to 
telegraph Dr. Perkins in New Orleans in case 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 239 

any trace was found of the miscreants, who un- 
doubtedly had intended to injure the Sea Eagle, 
and who had played such a dastardly trick on 
Frank. 

'‘You’ll fly from the sea far up to the sky; 
good-by ! good-by ! good-by ! good-by !” cried 
Plumbo Boggs as the ropes that held the Sea 
Eagle to the wharf were cast off and, amidst a 
loud cheer from the crowd, the engine was 
started. 

It was a fine summer morning with a glassy 
sea and a sky that was cloudless, except in the 
east, where a great mass of castellated white 
clouds were piled up. 

“You’d best hug the shore,’’ were Captain Car- 
ney’s parting words of advice. “To my mind 
we’ll have a storm of some sort before the day’s 
out.” 

But in the noise and excitement of the de- 
parture his words were unheard and the Sea 
Eagle started off down the coast with the warn- 
ing unheeded. Dr. Perkins ran the craft over 


240 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


the water till the mouth of the harbor was 
reached, easily outdistancing some fast launches 
that tried to keep up with them. When they got 
''outside,’’ the Sea Eagle was driven ahead at 
top speed, and with her rising planes set at a 
sharp angle she was driven upward till a height 
of some five hundred and fifty feet had been 
obtained. Her course was due south. 

They were flying over a small island not far 
from the shore when Frank, who was looking 
over the side, noticed a dory ashore on the beach. 
He had hardly noticed this before three figures 
came running down to the beach and pointed up- 
ward. One of them jerked a rifle up to his shoul- 
der, and a minute later a puff of smoke came 
from the barrel. Simultaneously a bullet sang 
through the rigging of the Sea Eagle, boring a 
small hole in one of the upper planes, but, for- 
tunately, not striking any vital part of the craft 
or doing injury to her passengers. 

"That’s those rascals now!” exclaimed Frank 
indignantly. "They must have rowed down to 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 241 

that island and are waiting there for a chance to 
get ashore quietly. Shall we go down and attack 
them?’’ 

Dr. Perkins shook his head. 

^'Nothing much would be gained by it,” he 
said, “and it would only delay our trip.” 

The Sea Eagle was flying fast, and the rascals 
on the island, who, as Frank had rightly guessed, 
were the two Daniels and Duval, had no chance 
to try a second shot. At noon, after a steady 
flight all the morning, the voyagers found them- 
selves off Martha’s Vineyard. A hasty lunch 
was eaten in midair, with the Sea Eagle still 
winging her way like a grayhound of the sky. 

The shore swam by below them like a pano- 
rama, but they only viewed it indistinctly, as the 
course was kept about five miles off shore. In 
the afternoon they saw, off to the right, a stretch 
of mammoth hotels and amusement resorts. 

“Atlantic City!” cried Frank. “I’ll bet there 
are hundreds of glasses leveled at us from the 
boardwalk right now.” 


242 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


‘T guess so/’ rejoined Harry. “We must look 
funny way out here at sea.” 

It was half an hour later that Frank’s 
attention was attracted to the sky by the 
sudden blotting out of the sun, which had been 
shining brightly. He gave a cry of alarm as he 
looked upward. A vast bank of black clouds had 
come rolling up, like a sable curtain, blotting out 
the blue sky. The sea below was leaden and an- 
gry in hue, and its surface was flecked with 
white caps. 

“We’re in for some bad weather, I’m afraid,” 
declared Dr. Perkins, when Frank called his at- 
tention to it. 

Hardly had he spoken before, from the cloud 
bank, a red, jagged flash of lightning blazed. It 
was followed almost instantly by a sharp clap 
of tlmnder, and some heavy rain drops began 
to patter on the broad upper planes of the Sea 
Eagle. 

“I’ll make for shore,” declared Dr. Perkins; 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 243 

‘Ve must be about ot¥ Cape May now. We can 
lie there in shelter till this blows itself out.” 

'‘That will be the best idea,” said Frank. 
"This is going to be a hummer. Wow! Look 
at that!” 

A flash of lightning, that seemed as if the 
whole curtain of clouds had been split from top 
to bottom, had caused his exclamation. So 
brilliant was the glare that it caused them all 
to blink involuntarily. 

"Put on full speed, Frank!” shouted Dr. Per- 
kins above the deafening peal of thunder that 
followed. 

Frank needed no second bidding. He opened 
both gasolene and spark levers to their full ca- 
pacity. Dr. Perkins had already headed the Sea 
Eagle for the distant low-lying shore. This 
caused the craft to plunge almost as much as if 
she were "bucking” into a heavy sea. For the 
wind was off shore, and the thunder storm, as 
such storms frequently do, was coming up 
against it. 


244 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


Suddenly, in the midst of the fight with the 
wind, Frank noticed an ominous sound from the 
motor. It gave a sort of spluttering, coughing 
exhaust and slowed down perceptibly. 

'What's wrong now?" he exclaimed anxiously. 
"Gracious, if the motor should go out of busi- 
ness now!" 

He did not say this aloud, but bent over the 
laboring machine to try and ascertain what was 
the matter with it. 

"More speed !" cried Dr. Perkins from the for- 
ward part of the air ship; "we can't fight this 
wind at this pace." 

"There's something the matter with the mo- 
tor," shouted Frank above the now almost con- 
tinuous rolling of the thunder. "I can't make 
out what " 

A sudden loud report, like a pistol shot, came 
from the engine — a back-fire, as it is called — 
and the next instant the motor stopped dead. 

The Sea Eagle was at that moment some 750 
feet above the angry sea, with the storm raging 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 245 

about her furiously. Before Dr. Perkins could 
realize what had happened, the big craft began 
to drop downward with sickening velocity, while 
her occupants clung on to whatever was handy, 
with the desperate clutch of drowning men. 

Frank had just time to shout: 

‘‘The life preservers! Quick, quick! for heav- 
en’s sake!” 

But there was no time to obey the order be- 
fore the Sea Eagle struck the waves, hurling 
spray and wind-driven foam in a great cloud 
all about her wings and substructure. 


246 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

A STRUGGI.K I^OR 

The next moments were filled with anxiety. 
The sea was running high, and, although Dr. 
Perkins had brought his craft upon a level keel 
by skillful volplaning, before it struck the waves, 
the situation was extremely serious. 

The hydroplane portion of the Sea Bagle was 
built lightly, and, although it was well strength- 
ened with braces, the test was a severe one. Over 
the bow the crests of the waves broke constantly, 
showering the occupants with spray. The Sea 
Bagle was tossed about helplessly, a plaything 
of the waves, while her adventurers strove to col- 
lect their thoughts and decide what was to be 
done. 

First they adopted Frank’s suggestion and 
donned the life jackets, so that if the worst came 
to the worst they would have a fighting chance 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 247 

for their lives. When this had been done, Frank, 
who had had some experience in motor boats, 
supervised the rigging of a '‘spray-hood’’ across 
the bow. This kept some of the spray out, and, 
although it was formed of sheets of spare canvas 
intended to be used as waterproof night cover- 
ings, it answered its purpose well enough. 

“Do you think that there is a chance of our 
keeping afloat?” asked Harry when this had been 
done. 

“Well, we appear to be making out all right 
so far,” rejoined Dr. Perkins; “the wing floats 
are working well, and if only we can get the en- 
gine going again we may be able to fly ashore 
yet.” 

The wing floats referred to were nothing more 
nor less thaji the light cylindrical pontoons afflxed 
to each lower wing tip. They acted precisely 
as “outriggers” would do in steadying the Sea 
Eagle. In fact, had it not been for this lateral 
support, the craft must have turned turtle under 
the terrific tossing she was receiving. 


248 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


'Tm going right to work on the engine/’ an- 
nounced Frank. 

With Harry to help him, the lad proceeded to 
carry out this purpose. But it was the hardest 
bit of ‘^trouble finding” he had ever done. The 
motion of the Sea Eagle, as she was tossed on a 
wave crest and then hurled into the abyss be- 
yond, made it hard to hold on, let alone investi- 
gating the complicated mechanism of a motor. 
But as time wore on and they still kept afloat, 
they began to have hopes that they would at least 
stay on the surface till the engine could be started 
once more. 

One after another Frank made the different 
tests employed to ascertain the various troubles 
that may assail a gasolene motor. He tested the 
ignition, the spark, the gasolene supply and the 
bearings. Everything appeared to be all right, 
and he paused in a puzzled way before he went 
to work on the carburetor. That is a delicate 
piece of mechanism, even to an ingenious boy 
like Frank Chester; but he finally concluded that 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 249 

the trouble must lie there. His first task was 
to open the relief cock and drain the brass bowl 
of the mixing chamber. 

He turned the valve, and the mystery of the 
stoppage of the engine was instantly explained. 

Sand had been placed in the carburetor by per- 
sons whom Frank had little difficulty in men- 
tally identifying. 

‘‘So that was what those rascals did he cried 
aloud. “No wonder we couldn’t find anything 
the trouble with the ship. They were too foxy 
for that, and could hardly have found a better 
way of injuring the Sea Eagle than to do that.” 

“Is there any way of fixing the damage?” 
asked Dr. Perkins, who, with Harry, had has- 
tened to Frank’s side as he cried out over his dis- 
covery. 

“Yes. Thank goodness, we’ve got a spare car- 
buretor on board, for it would take a week to 
clean out this. If no sand has got into the cyl- 
inders I think I can promise to get things going 
again before very long.” 


250 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


Out of the locker in which the spare parts 
were kept Frank produced another carburetor. 
But unscrewing the feed pipe and taking off the 
old mixing chamber and adjusting the new one 
were tedious tasks, especially under the circum- 
stances in which Frank was compelled to work. 
But at last it was done, and with a beating heart 
Frank adjusted the self-starter. A few seconds 
now would decide their fate. 

Harry shivered in anticipation of failure as his 
brother, having got the engine going by the just 
mentioned appliance, turned on the gasolene and 
spark. 

For a breathless instant their fate hung in the 
balance, and then there came the welcome sound 
of the exhaust. Bit by bit Frank allowed the 
speed to increase, till the engine was running at 
its full capacity of revolutions. But the pro- 
pellers were not turning, as before testing the 
motor he had thrown the clutch out of gear. 

think that we can try to rise now,'’ he said 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 251 

calmly, after the motor had run without a miss 
or a skip for ten minutes or so. 

think so, too,’' said Dr. Perkins, ''and I 
want to tell you, Frank, that you have done what 
I would not have believed possible under the con- 
ditions.” 

Another anxious moment followed when the 
clutch was thrown in and the full load of the pro- 
pellers came upon the engine. But not a hitch 
occurred. The large-bladed driving fans of the 
Sea Eagle beat the air rapidly and surely, and 
the hydroplane-formed underbody began to glide 
over the tops of the waves, instead of rolling and 
pitching helplessly among them. To the west- 
ward, too, there showed a patch of lighter sky, 
heralding the passing of the storm. 

But, as if unwilling to allow them to escape 
without again bringing their hearts into their 
mouths, the storm had one more buffeting to 
give them. As full power was applied, and the 
Sea Eagle rose above the tossing wave crests 


252 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

and headed slantingly skyward, there came a sud- 
den puff of wind. 

Skillful as Dr. Perkins was, it caught him mo- 
mentarily unprepared. In the wink of an eye the 
Sea Eagle careened over, almost on her “beam 
ends.'’ It seemed as if the right hand wing tips 
actually touched the water. One inch more and 
there might have been an abrupt conclusion to 
this story, but Dr. Perkins’ hands seemed to be 
everywhere at once. They flashed among levers 
and wheels. 

For the space of a breath the Sea Eagle hung 
almost vertically, and then the big craft sud- 
denly righted and shot upward on an even keel 
once more. But the moment had been an awful 
one, and as they winged their way upward not 
one aboard was there but felt that they had been 
delivered from a dreadful fate by what might 
well be described as a miracle. 



ONE INCH MORE AND THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN ABRUPT 
CONCLUSION TO THIS STORY. 


















FLIGHT FOE A FOETTJNE 


253 


CHAPTER XXV. 

A race: to cloudi^and. 

Scudding before the wind, for the half gale 
that was blowing had shifted during their bat- 
tle with the waves, the aerial voyagers made fast 
time beneath the storm wrack racing by over- 
head. In fact, it appeared to the boys that they 
actually outflew the wind. At any rate, it was 
not long before the thunder of the great breakers 
on a low, sandy beach told them that they were 
close to the shore. 

An instant later houses and streets came into 
view, and Dr. Perkins began looking anxiously 
about beneath for a place to land. He soon spied 
a spot, — a large ball-ground, or at least it ap- 
peared to be one, not far from the center of the 
city. Calling to Frank to ''stand by'' the en- 
gines, he began to descend in a series of circles. 

Coming to earth in a high wind is a risky bit 
of business for the air man, about as dangerous 


254 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


a maneuver, in fact, as can be imagined. But in 
this case there was no choice for Dr. Perkins 
and his young friends, unless they wanted to be 
carried clear across the cape and into Delaware 
Bay. 

Below them they could now see excited crowds 
racing toward the ball-ground, as soon as it be- 
came evident that that was the spot where the air 
men intended to alight. This did not please Dr. 
Perkins at all. A crowd was the last thing that 
he wished to have about when he made his drop 
earthward. But there was no help for it, and he 
kept on descending, trusting to the good sense of 
the throngs below to get out of the way when the 
time came. 

But crowds have never been remarkable for 
their common sense, and this one was no excep- 
tion. The last 'Tank” had been made with 
safety, and the Sea Eagle was making a clean- 
cut swoop to earth, when the crowd rushed in 
right below her. To have kept the craft on its 
course would have meant much injury, and pos- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 255 

sible loss of life. On the other hand, Dr. Per- 
kins knew that in the wind that was blowing it 
would be dangerous in the extreme to the air 
craft to change her course. 

^‘Get out of the way he shouted. 

‘'Out of the way unless you want to get hurt 
yelled Frank and Harry. 

But the crowd, like foolish sheep, only stared 
and gaped, and made not the slightest effort to 
avoid the on-driving Sea Eagle. 

There was only one thing to do, and Dr. Per- 
kins did it. There was a quick twist of his steer- 
ing wheel, and the Sea Eagle, instantly obeying 
her helm, darted off in an opposite direction to 
the one in which she had been advancing. Like 
a flash Dr. Perkins pulled the rising lever, at the 
same time shouting to Frank to stop the engines 
momentarily. He thought that the Sea Eagle 
would rise of her own volition, and knew that if 
the engines kept driving at top speed that his 
craft would be plunged prow first into the earth. 

So he chose the lesser of the two evils, and 


256 THE BOY AVIATORS^ 

the maneuver might have been successful but 
for one thing. There was not room in which to 
execute it. 

The Sea Eagle hesitated, half rose, and then 
crashed down to the ground, landing heavily on 
one wing tip and smashing it to bits. Frank and 
Harry were pitched clean out of the hydroplane 
substructure when the impact came, and a cry of 
alarm went up from the crowd. But Dr. Per- 
kins clung to his seat and brought the big craft 
to a stop. 

Fortunately neither Frank nor Harry had been 
much injured, beyond being badly shaken up and 
bruised, and they were both on their feet again 
in a jiffy after the accident. The crowd, as if 
realizing that its actions had had a good deal 
to do with the accident, forebore to press in, and 
they made their way to Dr. Perkins’ side without 
difficulty. 

‘Ts she much injured?” was Frank’s first ques- 
tion. 

''By good luck I think we have escaped serious 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 257 

damage/’ rejoined Dr. Perkins, ‘‘but only an ex- 
amination can tell.” 

At this moment a well-dressed, prosperous- 
looking man came elbowing through the crowd. 
He came straight up to Dr. Perkins with hand 
extended. 

“Well, Perkins !” he exclaimed. “I always told 
you you’d have a tumble some time, and now 
you’ve had it; right in my back yard, too. But 
I’m sincerely glad to see that neither you nor 
your machine appears to be much injured.” 

The newcomer was Mr. James Studley, an old 
acquaintance of the inventor’s, who was summer- 
ing at Cape May. The doctor was very glad to 
see him and accepted his cordial invitation to 
spend the night at his house, the boys, of course, 
being included in the invitation. 

In the meantime, a squadron of police had ar- 
rived, who drove back the crowds, and arrange- 
ments were made to keep a guard on duty all 
night till an examination of the wrecked machine 
could be made. 


258 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


''The accident, if it had to happen, could not 
have occurred more conveniently, so to speak,’' 
Dr. Perkins confided to his companions as they 
followed Mr. Studley to a handsome house not 
far away. "Mr. Studley is a manufacturer of 
aeroplanes, and has started a factory here, so 
that very probably we can get material to repair 
our damages without much trouble.” 

This was good news indeed to the boys, who 
had begun to fear that the trip might be aban- 
doned. 

They enjoyed a good dinner and a change into 
dry clothes as the guests of Mr. Studley and his 
wife, and bright and early the next morning re- 
pairs were made to the splintered wing tip, which 
was not so badly damaged as had at first ap- 
peared. Mr. Studley, who had provided work- 
men and materials for the task from his aero- 
plane factory, refused to hear of any compen- 
sation. 

"Such services should be rendered freely and 
gladly by one birdman to another,” he declared 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 259 

laughingly. “Who knows that some day I may 
not drop in on you at your island, in more senses 
than one.’’ 

As every trace of the storm had vanished, and 
the morning was bright and clear, no obstacle op- 
posed itself to the continuance of their journey 
as soon as the repairs had been completed. So 
fine was the weather, in fact, that Mr. Studley 
declared his intention of accompanying them in 
a light “runabout” aeroplane of the monoplane 
class, for a short distance. 

The machine, a pretty little affair of the Bleriot 
type, was soon wheeled out, and Mr. Studley 
declared all was ready for the start. As on the 
evening before, a large crowd had gathered, but 
the police kept them back, and gave the two vastly 
different aeroplanes a clear field in which to rise. 
A greater contrast could not well be imagined 
than that presented by the heavy, rather cumber- 
some-looking Sea Eagle with her substantial un- 
derbody and huge wing spread, and the trim. 


260 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


dainty little monoplane, which was named the 
Green Firefly, 

“WeVe all ready when you are,’’ exclaimed Dr. 1 
Perkins, turning to his friend, who was already 
seated in his long-bodied, gauzy-winged air craft. 

“All right! Clear the way!” cried Mr. Stud- 
ley with a wave of his hands. 

His mechanics gave the propeller of the mono- 
plane a twirl, as it was not provided with self- 
starting mechanism, and a moment later the roar- 
ing fusillade of the Sea Eagle's motor was 
drowning the sharp, angry, hornet-like buzzing 
of the Green Firefly. 

“Go !” yelled Mr. Studley, and simultaneously, i 
as it seemed, the two sky ships dashed forward 
over the smooth sward. 

“Hooray !” shouted the crowd. 

“They’re off!” shouted others. 

And then, a minute later : 

“Look! They’re going up!” 

“So they are!” cried the spectators, as if there 
was any room for doubt about the matter. i 


FLIGHT FOR A- FORTUNE 261 

The light Firefly was first, by the fraction of 
a second, to point her sharp nose up toward the 
tranquil blue dome of the sky. But the Sea Eagle 
was not tardy in following. 

‘'Come on!'’ shouted Mr. Studley, casting a 
swift glance back over his shoulder at his large 
comrade of the air. He appeared to think that 
he would have little difficulty in distancing the 
huge machine. 

“We haven't begun yet!" cried Dr. Perkins 
back to him, with an answering wave of the 
hand. 

Nor was the Sea Eagle as yet making a quar- 
ter of the speed she was capable of. On account 
of her great weight, and general size of her wing 
spread, it was not advisable to “open everything 
up" at once when she made an ascent from the 
land. 

The Firefly darted ahead like some creature 
that rejoiced to be sporting in its element. But 
close behind came a roar and whirr as Frank let 
out another notch on the Sea Eagle. Up and up 


262 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


they flew, while the crowd below dwindled to 
pigmies, and the houses looked like so many toy 
Noah’s Arks. It was plain enough that Mr. 
Studley was engaged in a good-natured effort to 
show his friend that the Firefly was an infinitely 
faster craft than her cumbersome rival. He 
darted this way and that, making spirals and 
doing rocking-chair evolutions with the perfec- 
tion of aerial grace. 

Dr. Perkins attempted none of these stunts, 
but from time to time he turned back to Frank 
and nodded as a signal to give the craft a little 
more power. 

By the time the twin propellers were develop- 
ing their top push and speed, the owner of the 
Firefly realized that he had a tussle on his hands. 
He ceased his graceful evolutions and settled 
down to real flying. But he had not gone a mile 
over the aerial race track before the Sea Eagle 
thundered past him like a ''Limited” of the skies. 

"Good-by and thank you!” Dr. Perkins found 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 263 

time to yell, as they flashed past, bound due 
south once more. 

''Good-by. Good luck to you!’’ came from Mr. 
Studley, as he waved his hand in the realization 
that he was beaten. 

There was no time to exchange more words. 
In a few minutes the boys, looking back, could 
only see a black speck like a shoe button against 
the sky to mark where the defeated Firefly was 
turning about and heading for home. 

As for the Sea Eagle, at sixty miles an hour, 
and with her motor going faster every minute, 
that staunch and speedy craft was winging her 
way at top speed for her distant goal. 


264 


THE BOY AVIATOES’ 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

THK BOY aviators' PLUCK. 

But it was almost a week later that the 1,400 
odd miles down the coast to Fernandina, Florida, 
and from thence overland to the Crescent City, 
were completed. Storms and minor accidents 
spun out the voyage to this length, although Dr. 
Perkins had calculated on making a faster run. 
In fact, his aim had been to make about 500 miles 
a day, with night flights to help out, if possible. 

Many interesting incidents, which it would re- 
quire another volume to chronicle in detail, 
marked the trip. Off Savannah the Sea Eagle 
towed a disabled motor boat, containing a pleas- 
ure party, into port, and a short time later flew 
above the Atlantic squadron of the United States 
fleet bound south for target practice. Aerial 
greetings were exchanged by wireless between 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 265 

the Sea Eagle and Uncle Sam’s bulldogs of the 
ocean. 

The next day the Sea Eagle was once more 
enabled to render aerial ambulance service by 
taking an injured keeper from a lighthouse off 
Fernandina into port, and arranging for a sub- 
stitute to be sent out at once. At every city they 
stopped they received a great reception, for by 
this time the flight of the Sea Eagle had received 
the attention of the country through the medium 
of the newspapers. 

Possibly one incident may be worth chroni- 
cling in more detail. This occurred when, a 
short time after rising for a night flight from 
Eufala, Alabama, to the Mississippi State line, 
Frank descried, through some trees, what he 
thought was the rising moon. 

“That’s the funniest-looking moon I ever saw,” 
declared Harry, who happened to be doing duty 
as engineer. 

“Why, what’s the matter with it?” demanded 
Frank. 


266 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


‘Why, it’s red.” 

“Probably caused by the mist iroia some 
marshlands,” decided Dr. Perkins, who was rest- 
ing, while Frank guided the Sea Eagle, at which 
he had become quite expert. But the next mo- 
ment he changed his opinion. 

“It isn’t the moon at all. It’s the glare from a 
fire, and a big one, too. Let’s hurry up, boys.” 

Neither Frank nor Harry needed any urging, 
and the Sea Eagle was soon traversing the air so 
fast that the wind sang in their ears. As they 
raced along the glare grew brighter and angrier, 
glowing with a lambent red core from which 
flames could be seen leaping skyward like a nest 
of fiery serpents. 

A few minutes brought them into full view of 
the conflagration. It proved to be a fine old 
farm-house. The front of the place was a mass 
of flame, and the blaze appeared to be bursting 
through the roof. Men could be seen running 
about the grounds like a nest of disturbed ants. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


267 


and others were hastening on foot, in autos and 
in buggres*', from every direction. 

Nobody paid any attention to the oncoming 
aeroplane in the excitement, and when it dropped 
to earth on the lawn in front of the blazing 
building, there was the liveliest sort of confusion. 
Some of the farmers did not know what to make 
of the visitor from the skies, but their more en- 
lightened neighbors soon informed them, and re- 
called the newspaper accounts they had read of 
the Sea Eagle's great flight. 

''Anybody in the building?’’ shouted Frank, 
jumping from the Sea Eagle as the craft came 
to a standstill. 

Nobody answered for a moment, but suddenly, 
from the back of the building, came a piercing 
scream. 

"Help! Help!” 

"Goodness, that’s a woman calling !” exclaimed 
Frank. "Come on, Harry.” 

Both boys dashed round to the rear of the 
blazing mansion, and there, at a third-story win- 


268 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

dow, they saw a woman with a baby in her arms, 

leaning out and frantically calling for help. 

''Get a ladder!” shouted Frank. 

"No time to hunt for it,” cried Harry. "We’ll 
have to try another way.” 

"What do you mean?” 

"See the flat roof of that coach house over 
there? If we had a board we could make a 
bridge from it to the window.” 

"But how are we to get to the roof of the 
coach house ?” 

"Fly there.” 

"What! in the Eagler 

"Why not? The roof is flat and big enough 
to give us room to land if we are careful.” 

"Cracky ! I think you’re right. Has anybody 
got a board?” 

"Here you are,” exclaimed a man who had 
darted off to a lumber pile when he overheard 
Harry’s plan. 

"Good! I think this will be long enough. 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 269 

Come on, Harry, let’s lose no time. See, the 
flames are almost at that part of the house.” 

At top speed the two boys ran back to the Sea 
Eagle j calling to Dr. Perkins to join them. Has- 
tily they explained what they meant to do. Dr. 
Perkins was inclined to doubt if the plan was 
feasible, but as it appeared to be the only way 
to save the woman and the child, he agreed to 
attempt it, grave though the risk of disaster to 
the Sea Eagle appeared to be. 

While the excited men gathered about, and the 
woman’s cries still filled the air, the Sea Eagle 
was started up, and after circling about, dropped 
to the coach house roof. The big craft landed 
without mishap, but Frank reversed the engines 
barely in time to prevent her from rolling ofif. 
However, with the front wheels of the substruc- 
ture on the very brink of the cornice, the Sea 
Eagle came obediently to a standstill. 

They had brought the board with them, and it 
was shoved across to the woman, who saw at 
once what they intended to do. She secured it 


270 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


to the ledge of the window at which she had 
been standing, and Frank worked his way across 
the plank bridge and took the child in his arms. 
He recrossed in safety with it, and then came 
the woman’s turn to trust herself to the frail 
bridge. But she hesitated till smoke was pour- 
ing into the room, and then, fairly driven to try 
the slender support, she began to cross it. 

From the coach house roof the boys called en- 
couragingly to her, for the plank was far too 
weak to bear the weight of two persons. Even 
under Frank and the baby it had sagged omi- 
nously. Something in the woman’s face as she 
neared the end of her journey caused Frank to 
reach out toward her. It was well that he had 
the foresight to do so, for as she reached the end 
of her journey she suddenly fainted. 

Another instant and she would have fallen 
forty feet to the ground, but Frank caught her 
dress in a strong grip. Luckily, it was of stout 
material and did not rip as he seized it. Dr. 
Perkins and Harry came to his aid the next min- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 271 

ute, and with their united strength they man- 
aged to draw the woman’s limp form to safety. 

Hardly had they done so before the flames be- 
gan breaking out fiercely from the back of the 
house, and, driven by the strong wind, they were 
uncomfortably close to the coach house roof. No 
time was lost in placing the woman and her in- 
fant in the Sea Eagle, after which the air craft 
was started. Dr. Perkins rose to a suitable 
height from which to make a safe descent, and 
then swept down to the ground, carrying the first 
woman and child in the history of the world to 
be saved from a blazing building by aeroplane. 

The woman soon recovered after some friends 
of the neighborhood had taken her and her child 
to a nearby dwelling. 

The owner of the building, and the husband 
of the woman who had been so bravely rescued, 
now came bustling up, his face beaming with 
gratitude. At the moment he was not thinking 
of the fire but of the brave strangers from the 
sky who had saved his wife and child. 


272 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


'T don’t know who you are, or where you 
came from,” he exclaimed, '‘but you literally 
dropped from the skies when all hope appeared 
lost. I was in town buying stock, and on my way 
out I saw the flames coming from my home. 
Knowing my wife and child had retired I dreaded 
to think what would have happened if they had 
not been aroused. I arrived here in time to find 
my worst fears realized. How can I ever thank 
you for what you have done?” 

"Oh, we only tried to do what we could,” said 
Frank modestly; "we saw the fire and came down 
to see if we couldn’t help.” 

"I owe the lives of my wife and child to your 
quickness and courage, and that wonderful air- 
ship of yours,” vehemently declared the man, 
whose name was Winfield Thomas, a wealthy 
farmer. "It was a real blessing you happened 
along as you did.” 

Dr. Perkins and the boys could only repeat 
how glad they were to have done what they could. 
Without waiting much longer, except to congrat- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 273 

ulate Mrs. Thomas on her quick recovery, and 
to express the hope that she would feel no bad 
effects from her experience, the voyage was 
shortly resumed. But the adventure at the burn- 
ing farm house long remained in the boys’ mem- 
ory, and strengthened their attachment to the 
Sea Eagle. 

Nearing New Orleans they caught a wireless 
message from Billy Barnes telling them that he 
had secured quarters for the Sea Eagle in Al- 
giers, a suburb across the river from the city. 
That night one stage of the trip was concluded 
when, in answer to a signal given with a blue 
lamp, they dropped into a field on the outskirts 
of Algiers and housed the Sea Eagle in a large 
barn. 

‘‘Thunder and turtles !” cried Pudge when that 
night in the St. Charles Hotel they were relating 
their adventures. “You fellows have all the fun 
and we do all the work.” 

“Never mind. Pudge,” said Frank; “I guess 
we’ll have adventures in plenty ahead of us when 


274 


THE BOY AVIATOBS’ 


we try to locate the wreck of the Belle of Nezv 
Orleans” 

‘'Which will be as soon as possible/’ said Dr. 
Perkins. “Our trip has taken us longer than I 
anticipated, and there is a strong chance that 
Duval may have got ahead of us.” 

“There’s another reason for hurrying,” de- 
clared Billy, who had just wired to his paper a 
long account of the Sea Eagle's trip; “they say 
that the river is rising. There have been un- 
precedented rainstorms and the levees are weak- 
ening. Negroes are at work on them all along 
the line, but they doubt if they can make them 
hold if the river keeps rising.” 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


275 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

CAPTURE:d by AEROPI.ANE. 

During the short time that they had been in 
the city Ben Stubbs and his two young compan- 
ions had done wonders in the way of collecting 
equipment for the purpose of rifling the treasure 
which it was expected lay in the submerged hulk 
of the Belle of New Orleans. A diving suit with 
pumping apparatus of the latest type, blocks and 
tackles and hand spikes were among the things 
laid in stock. Ben had also invested in a new 
device, a submarine searchlight. The choice of 
this last was warmly approved by Dr. Perkins. 

"T was wondering how it would be possible 
to find one's way about the sunken ship without 
some such article," he said approvingly, and old 
Ben's rugged face glowed with satisfaction. 

‘'Trust an old timer, sir, for remembering 
those things," he said. 


276 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

“Indeed, nobody could have selected a more 
complete outfit,’' rejoined Dr. Perkins. 

The inventory of the goods was taken the next 
morning, and hiring a boat the stuff was trans- 
ported to Algiers, where the Sea Eagle had been 
looked after over night by a couple of darkies. 

As they crossed the river in a hired boat they 
noticed how swiftly the current ran and how dis- 
colored it was. The negro who rowed them com- 
mented on it, too. 

“Dey be po’ful big flood befo’ long, genelmen,” 
he opined, “an’ when ole man Mississip’ git up 
on his hind lags ain’t nuffin’ kin stop him. Dem 
lebees dey go jes lak so much straw er hay.” 

“All the more reason for our making haste,” 
said Dr. Perkins, addressing the others ; “it would 
be hard fortune indeed if Ben were to be robbed 
of his fortune by a flood.” 

The shed which had sheltered the Sea Eagle 
overnight was close to the water’s edge so that 
the goods were soon transported on board. All 
was found to be in good shape, and the two dark- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 277 

ies, who had watched the air craft overnight, re- 
ceived an extra gratuity for their pains. The 
adventurers had been particular not to give out 
any details of their flight, and it was expected 
that^they would stay in New Orleans for some 
days before proceeding, so that no curious crowd, 
only a few negroes and stragglers, were on hand 
to see them start. 

Dr. Perkins had an excellent chart of the river, 
showing distinctly the location of Black Bayou, 
which lay back from the river amidst a maze of 
other wriggly creeks and water courses. The 
Belle of New Orleans had been on her way to a 
‘Tar back’’ plantation to pick up cotton, when she 
blew up, which accounted for the wreck being 
submerged in such an out of the way place. 

As they flew along the river, but far above it, 
they could see human beings, busy as ants, work- 
ing along the levees, strengthening them against 
the dreaded floods which already had devastated 
whole sections of country in Ohio and farther up 
the mighty stream. At length the course of the 


278 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

Sea Eagle was changed till she was flying over a 
perfect maze of water courses and bayous, wind- 
ing in and out of a dense forest. From above, it 
looked like a lace work of water overlying a piece 
of dark green plush. 

But the map showed a landmark for Black 
Bayou. Harry’s plan was marked '‘Ruined plan- 
tation house and sugar mill.” Frank was the 
first to spy out this important "bearing.” The 
Sea Eagle was at that time not very far up, and 
the gaunt walls and desolate overgrown buildings 
of the once prosperous place could be seen clearly, 
"Giant cypress with three forks,” was the next 
marking, and, sure enough, on a little patch of 
an island, not far from the ruined plantation, 
they presently saw a gaunt dead tree answering 
this description. 

"Bayous and bullfrogs! We’re getting hot 
now!” cried Pudge excitedly. "Ben, I believe 
that that rascal was telling the truth after all.” 

"I’m inclined to think so, too. Master Pudge,” 
rejoined Ben ; "and look — look there — that must 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 279 

be the Catfish Island marked on the plan. See, 
it’s just the shape of one of them critters.'’ 

'So it is, Ben," cried Frank, peering down. 
"Goodness, this is exciting, though. Just think, 
in a short time we shall know if our flight for a 
fortune is " 

"A fizzle or not," interrupted the slangy 
Pudge. 

"Right ofif Catfish Island two points to the 
north," read out Harry. 

Dr. Perkins glanced at the compass and 
slightly altered the direction of the Sea Bagle; 
then he allowed the great craft to drop gently to 
rest on the waters of Black Bayou. 

Harry referred to the plan again. 

"North a hundred yards to the Lone Pine 
Island." 

"There it is," cried Frank, indicating a small 
spot of land on which a dead pine reared its bare 
trunk. 

Hardly had he spoken when a canoe shot round 
a bend in a small bayou just ahead of them, and 


280 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

a wild-looking man, who had been paddling it, 
checked his frail craft. His unkempt whiskers 
covered him almost to his waist, and his clothes 
wejfe ragged to a degree. But none of them 
thought of this as the swamp dweller so unex- 
pectedly came into view. 

'Ts this the Black Bayou?’’ they cried almost 
in chorus. 

The other nodded and stared wildly and half 
in alarm at the strange-looking craft that con- 
fronted him. 

^‘Oui! Thees Black Bayou,” he rejoined in 
soft, broken accents; ''what you want, eh?” 

"Did you ever hear tell of the Belle of New 
Orleans?” asked Ben, in a voice that shook with 
suppressed excitement. 

To his astonishment the Acadian — for the 
weird figure in the boat was one of those strange 
dwellers of the cypress swamps — burst into a 
loud laugh. 

"Oh ho ! Oh ho !” he cackled ; "what you want 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 281 

wid zee Belle of New Orleans, eh ? What you 
want weez her?’’ 

Ben hesitated, and before he could reply the 
other burst into another weird cackling laugh, 
and held up a small object. 

‘'You want zee pearl, zee gold, hey? Zey all 
gone ! See, I have one. Zee men who come here 
two day ago give it me for help zem. Adieu !” 

Before anybody on the Sea Eagle could utter 
a word the fellow gave a deft stroke of his paddle 
and his canoe shot off into the trackless paths of 
the swamps. 

“Well, what under the sun!” burst out Frank, 
while Pudge weakly ejaculated: 

“Centipedes and spongecakes!” 

“It’s all clear enough,” exclaimed Ben bitterly. 
“Those ruffians got ahead of us. That ’Cadian 
took them to the scene of the wreck and they’ve 
rifled it.” 

“That was undoubtedly a black pearl he held 
up,” said Dr. Perkins in a faint voice. “I sup- 
pose they gave him that for guiding them here.’' 


282 THE BOY AVIATOES’ 

The sudden shriek of a high-crested king- 
fisher made them look up suddenly. The bird 
was darting from tree to tree on an i^and at a 
little distance. Suddenly something that lay at 
the foot of a tree caught Ben’s sharp eyes. 

''What’s that ? That glittering thifig yonder ?” 
he exclaimed, pointing. 

"Easy enough to see,” said Dr. Perkins, start- 
ing up the Sea Eagle for the little island. 

"It’s a diving helmet!” cried Frank as they 
drew closer to the object, "just look, the rascals 
must have left it there after they got the treas- 
ure out of the sunken wreck. I guess they 
thought that as they were so rich they need not 
bother with it.” 

They landed on the island as disconsolate and 
downcast a band of treasure hunters as ever set 
foot on the site of a treasure trove. Abundant 
evidences of a camp were all about them. The 
ashes of a fire, and scraps of food and paper. 
One of these caught Frank’s attention. It was 
a fragment of newspaper, and what had chal- 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 283 

lenged Frank’s notice was that a band of red ink 

’ drawn around some printing on it. 

FranK ^ the marked portion with a somewhat 
vague curiosity. For the moment he did not 
realize what an important clew he had stumbled 
upon. Thei it rushed upon him with full force. 

Ben and the others were on the shore of the 
island pointing down into the muddy waters of 
the bayou. 

The earth was trampled in the vicinity, and 
showed plainly that the miscreants who had 
stolen the treasure had carried on their opera- 
tions from that point of the bank. 

‘‘Down thar somewhar’ lies the wreck of the 
Belle of New Orleans” said Ben, shaking his 
head dolefully, and pointing into the black cur- 
rent; “but it ain’t going to do us no good, mates. 
It ain’t going to do us no good; them sea skunks 
has got ahead of us for fair.” 

It was at this point that Frank’s shout inter- 
rupted them. 

“What is it?” cried Dr. Perkins. 


284 


THE BOY AVIATORS’ 


‘'This paper. Come here. I think it’s a clew 
to where they have gone.” 

They crowded about him while Frank read out 
from the marked paper. 

“ ‘The new South American Commerce Com- 
pany’s steamer Buenos Aires sails to-morrow for 
the latter port. She is a fast, capable craft and 
will make a direct run to the Argentine. The 
inauguration of this service is a distinct addition 
to the commercial importance of New Orleans 
and establishes new trade relations with South 
America.’ ” 

“Very pretty,” said Ben; “but what does it 
prove?” 

“Yes, I don’t see much of a clew in that,” put 
in Harry. 

But Frank raised his hand to command silence. 

“Listen a minute,” he said. “Of course, I may 
be altogether wrong, but it seems to me that the 
reason this paragraph is marked is because those 
fellows meant to sail on this very boat.” 


FLIGHT FOE A FOETUNE 285 

Ben brought his hand down on his knee with a 
resounding whack. 

hookey, lad!’’ he roared; ‘^that’s reason. 
That’s solid sense and reason.” 

‘‘What is the date of that paper?” asked Dr. 
Perkins. 

''Luckily the paragraph was torn off from the 
top of the page,” said Frank, "and the date of 
the issue is legible. It is dated yesterday.” 

"Then the Buenos Aires sailed this morning?” 

"Yes; that’s the way it looks.” 

"And while we are wasting time here she is 
heading down the river for the open sea,” 
groaned Harry. 

"Can’t we wireless to New Orleans and find 
out?” asked Pudge. 

"That’s a mighty good idea. Pudge,” said his 
father, "but the set we have on the Sea Eagle 
wouldn’t carry as far as that.” 

"Then let’s get on board again and fly back as 
quickly as possible. We are only wasting time 
here,” said Frank. 


286 THE BOY AVIATORS’ 

His suggestion was quickly acted upon, and 
the voyagers reembarked. They were a very 
different party from the pleasantly excited expe- 
dition that had set out that morning so full of 
hope and enterprise. Frank alone kept up his 
spirits. He sat constantly at the wireless as they 
winged their way back to New Orleans, inces- 
santly trying to get into communication. 

At last he caught the operator of the Har- 
bor Master’s office. Instantly he flashed his 
query : 

“Did Buenos Aires sail this a. m. ?” 

“Yes. Ship sailed early to-day.” 

“Where will she be now?” 

“About off Fort Jackson, near the mouth of 
the river,” came the reply. “She has wireless, 
but it is out of order, so that I can’t tell you ex- 
actly where she is right now.” 

“Thanks!” flashed Frank and disconnected. 

He quickly communicated his tidings, and im- 
mediately a hasty, excited consultation followed. 
The result of it was that Dr. Perkins decided to 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 287 

ground the Sea Eagle in Algiers. This done, Ben 
would swear out a warrant before the most avail- 
able justice, and then, if they could find a deputy 
nervy enough to make the trip, he was to be taken 
on board the Sea Eagle and the Buenos Aires 
overtaken before she got beyond the jurisdiction 
of the State. 

But after landing in Algiers these plans were 
changed. It was decided instead to swear out a 
federal warrant, as there was grave danger of 
the ship getting out of the State’s power before 
they could overtake her. On the extraordinary 
circumstances being related to him, the U. S. 
Commissioner at New Orleans readily granted 
the warrant for the arrest of all three of the 
rascals. It now remained only to find a Deputy 
U. S. Marshal courageous enough to make the 
trip through the air. 

The only one available seemed a bit doubtful. 

''A trip in an aeroplane!” he said. 'TVe never 
taken such a journey and I’m scared of the 


288 THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 

blessed things. You see, IVe got a wife and 
family, and 

‘‘Don’t be afraid. There’s really no danger, 
and we’ll be over water most of the way,” urged 
Dr. Perkins. 

The deputy seemed to come to a sudden con- 
clusion. His eyes snapped and his lips tight- 
ened. 

“All right. I’ll go with you !” he suddenly cried. 
“Wait till I ’phone the missus and I’m your man. 
Those rascals played you a mean trick, and I’d 
like to see you win out.” 

The hearts of the adventurers gave a bound 
of hope. There was a chance of seeing justice 
come into its own, after all. 

The Buenos Aires, a fine ship of five thousand 
or more tons, dropped rapidly down the river. 
She had few cabin passengers, and of these only 
three were on deck. The remainder were in their 
cabins putting their belongings to rights. 

These three men were the elder Daniels, his 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 289 

loutish son and Duval. But they all wore smart 
new clothes, and Duval had shaved off his mus- 
tache. As for the two Daniels, it is an example 
of what clothes can do to say that they looked 
more like prosperous, rather countryfied commis- 
sion dealers than rugged fishermen from Maine. 

‘Xet’s have a look at them pearls again,’’ Dan- 
iels was saying, after he had given a cautious, 
glance about him to make sure they were not 
observed. 

Duval reached into his pocket and drew out a 
canvas bag. From it he poured out a number of 
black, lustrous objects, catching them in a cupped 
hand. 

“Twenty of the beauties,” he exclaimed; 
“twenty black pearls — the rarest gems that come 
out of the ocean.” 

“What are they worth again ?” asked the elder 
Daniels, licking his lips anticipatively. 

“Thirty thousand dollars at the least.” 

“Jiminy! Hold me, some one!” sputtered Zeb. 

“And that, counting the gold dust in the cabin, 


390 


THE BOY AVIATORS^ 


makes a fortune of close upon seventy-five thou- 
sand dollars we got out of that old hulk, don't 

itr 

‘‘That's right," answered Duval ; “you fellows 
did a good day's work for yourselves when you 
knocked me on the head in that hut." 

“Waal, I should say so. Let's go below and 
look at that gold again. I kin hardly keep my 
fingers frum touching it. We're rich, boys, we're 
rich!" 

The three worthies disappeared below after 
Duval had carefully replaced the black pearls in 
their bag. It was some hours later when they 
came up again and the ship was passing the Port 
Ead's light. 

“We're safe now," exclaimed Duval in a low 
tone; “even if they do discover the trick we've 
put up on em, they could never catch us now. In 
another two hours we'll be out on the gulf and by 
to-morrow we'll be out of reach of any one in 
Yankeeland." 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 


291 


''Hulloo, what’s up astern?” asked Zeb sud- 
denly. “What are they all pointing at?” 

“Pointing at? What do you mean?” demanded 
Duval, suspicious as are most guilty consciences 
of anything unusual. 

“Something in the sky. Hark! They are 
shouting I” 

''Something in the skyT 

Duval’s face went white. His knees shook. 
By a flash of guilty intuition he had guessed what 
that something was, even if the next minute a 
shout had not split the air. 

“An aeroplane! It’s an aeroplane!” 

Duval’s knees quivered under him. He trem- 
bled like a man with the palsy. Old Daniels came 
up to him hastily. 

“Duval, they’ve sighted one of them airyo- 
planes — you don’t think ” 

“No, I don’t think. I know,” choked out Du- 
val, “they are after us. Hark!” 

From the distance came the sound of shots 
high up in the air. In reply to the signal — for 


292 


THE BOY AVIATOES^ 


such it was — the Buenos Aires' whistle emitted 
three long, mournful toots. Her engines began 
to slow down. As Duval felt the steamer's speed 
check he dashed below to his cabin. As for Dan- 
iels, he stood rooted to the spot, his lips moving, 
but no speech coming from them. Zeb was no- 
where to be seen. 

Up on the Buenos Aires' lofty flying bridge 
her officers, in the meantime, had been almost 
equally excited. They had seen the aeroplane 
some time before; but as nowadays such craft 
are a fairly common sight, they had not paid 
overmuch attention to it. It was not till the 
unusual size of the craft was revealed that they 
scrutinized it closely. 

Then, as the big winged man-bird swung above 
the steamer's masts, had come the quick six pistol 
shots. An imperative signal, rightly interpreted 
^^Stop!" 

The whistle had replied and the vessel's way 
been checked as the jangling signals sounded in 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 293 

the engine-room, and ''Slow down’' flashed up 
on the telegraph. 

"What do you want?” hailed the captain 
through a megaphone, as the Sea Eagle — for of 
course our readers have guessed the identity of 
the craft of the air — swung above him. 

"We want to board you with a United States 
warrant !” came the startling reply from midair. 

"A warrant! For some of my passengers?” 

"Yes; for three men whom we have reason to 
believe booked passage as Daniel Maine and son 
and another one who calls himself Francis Le 
Blanc.” 

"I have three such men on board and recognize 
the authority of the United States. How will 
you board me ?” 

"We’ll come alongside.” 

The captain looked as if he didn’t understand 
how this was going to be done, but gave orders 
to stop the ship, drop anchor and lower the gang- 
way. This was done, and the Sea Eagle dropped 
to the water alongside with perfect precision. In 


294 


THE BOY AVIATOES’' 


the meantime, the wildest excitement reigned on 
board. Rumors flew thick and fast as to the er- 
rand of the men from the air. 

Lest it should be wondered how Dr. Perkins 
and his companions knew the names under which 
the three rascals had sailed, we had better clear 
this matter up. Before embarking in the Sea 
Eagle in pursuit of the Buenos Aires, a passen- 
ger list had been obtained from the oflices of the 
steamship company. It will be recalled that 
Francis Le Blanc was the alias, or false name, 
which Duval had used when in the employ of 
Mr. Sterrett on the yacht Wanderer. This gave 
them a clew, and when they came across the 
names Daniel Maine and son, booked for an ad- 
joining cabin, there remained small doubt that 
those names concealed the two Daniels. 

The Sea Eagle was soon made fast, and Mar- 
shal Howell, followed by Dr. Perkins and the two 
Boy Aviators, sprang up the gangway. The 
others they had been compelled to leave behind. 


FLIGHT FOE A FORTUNE 295 

as, with the three prisoners to carry back, the 
Sea Eagle would have been overcrowded. 

As they reached the top of the gangway Cap- 
tain Stow and his officers advanced to meet them. 

‘‘To what am I indebted for the honor of this 
visit?” asked the seaman. 

The marshal showed his authority and his war- 
rant. 

“We don’t wish to detain you longer than nec- 
essary, captain,” he said, “so will you have u^ 
shown to their cabins?” 

The captain himself led the way below, and 
conducted them down a corridor to the stern of 
the ship. As they reached the end of the passage 
a door was thrust suddenly open and a bullet 

t 

whizzed past Frank’s head. At the same instant 
Zeb’s figure appeared in the doorway. 

But before he could fire another shot the mar- 
shal had wrested the pistol from him and burst 
into the cabin. Frank was close behind him. At 
a port hole was Duval ; he had something in his 
hand and was just about to hurl it out of the 


296 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


port hole, when Frank, in one bound, was at his 
side and had his arm captive. With a snarl like 
a wounded wild beast Duval turned on him, whip- 
ping out a knife as he did so. But before any 
harm could be done. Dr. Perkins seized and dis- 
armed him. 

It was speedily found that the bag which 
Frank had saved was the one containing the 
black pearls which Duval, in his extremity, had 
determined to throw away rather than let any 
one else gain their possession. The Marshal 
slipped the handcuffs on Zeb and Duval, who 
submitted sullenly to arrest. It was not till then 
that their thoughts turned to the elder Daniels. 
He was not in his cabin, and search of the ship 
failed to reveal him. The mystery was soon to 
be explained, however. 

A boat with a colored oarsman had been lying 
alongside the steamer waiting to take off the 
pilot. In the confusion old Daniels had opened 
the bag of gold dust, selected a packet, and, drop- 
ping into the boat, told the negro to row him 


FLIGHT FOR A FORTUNE 297 

ashore to secure help for the officers. The negro 
naturally supposed that he was acting under 
proper instructions, and put the old fisherman 
ashore. He was never heard of again. 

Zeb and Duval sullenly refused to utter a 
word, but ultimately, after their return to New 
Orleans, Frank had an interview with Duval in 
his prison cell, in which he made a clean breast of 
everything. From Bayhaven they had hastened 
south by fast trains, stopping on the way to buy 
diving dress. The Acadian whom the boys had 
encountered in the swamps had guided them to 
the scene of the wreck, receiving one black pearl 
as his reward. 

Of the voyage back from the Buenos Aires 
with the two prisoners not much can be said. It 
was made at a good rate of speed, and both 
Duval and Zeb were docile. Indeed, there was 
no use in their being otherwise. On account of 
his youth and the pleadings of Dr. Perkins and 
the boys, Zeb got a light sentence in a reforma- 
tory institution, and it is hoped that he will prove 


298 


THE BOY AVIATOKS’ 


a far better character when he gets out. Duval 
was more severely dealt with, but even he got oS 
more lightly than he deserved, thanks to the 
clemency of the people he had wronged. 

And so ends the story of the Boy Aviators' 
Flight for a Fortune in the most wonderful aero- 
plane constructed up to date. But no doubt, in 
the rapid march of events, even the Sea Eagle 
will soon be surpassed. Already, while this book 
goes to press, plans are being made by no less 
than four separate aviators to dare the terrors of 
a transatlantic passage. Whether they will suc- 
ceed or not is in the lap of the future, but the 
author is certain that some day flights across 
‘'The Pond" at seventy or eighty miles an hour 
will be so common as to attract but small atten- 
tion. 

Some of my readers doubtless wish to know 
how Ben disposed of his fortune. Well, part of 
it he wisely invested in real estate, and the rest 
he is thinking of putting into the company Dr. 
Perkins has formed to manufacture Sea Eagles. 


FLIGHT FOE A FOKTIJNE 299 

Mr. Sterrett is a member of the company, and so 
are the Boy Aviators. Naturally Ben’s keen wish 
to have them share some of his good fortune was 
refused, for, as we know, the Boy Aviators’ ad- 
ventures in the past had netted them a good 
share of this world’s goods. Billy Barnes is pub- 
licity agent at a good salary for the Sea Eagle 
Company, Ltd., and the work just suits his 
tastes. As for Pudge, he is as hard a worker as 
anybody at the plant on Brig Island, learning 
the business ''from the bottom up.” 

And so, wishing them well in their future un- 
dertakings, we will here take leave for the pres- 
ent of our friends, the Boy Aviators, with the 
author’s sincere wish that you have enjoyed read- 
ing their adventures as much as he has record- 
ing them. 


THK end. 





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Sets, Octavos, Presentation Books 
and Juvenile and Nursery Literature 
in immense variety. 


3. You will be able to purchase 
books at prices within your reach ; 
as low as 10 cents for paper covered 
books, to $5.00 for books bound in 
cloth or leather, adaptable for gift 
and presentation purposes, to suit 
the tastes of the most critical. 


4. You will save considerable 
money by taking advantage of our 
Special Discounts, which we offer 
to those whose purchases are large 
enough to warrant us in making a 
reduction. 


A postal to us will 
place it in your 
hands 

♦ ■ 


HURST & CO., •Publishers, 

395, 397, 399 Broadway, New York. 


♦ 



OAKDALE ACADEMY SERIES 


Stories of Modern School Sports 

By MORGAN SCOTT. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid' 


Ben Stone 
at Oakdale 


BEN STONE AT OAKDALE. 

Under peculiarly trying circum- 
stances Ben Stone wins his way at 
Oakdale Academy, and at the 
same time enlists our sympathy, 
interest and respect. Through the 
enmity of Bern Hayden, the loyalty 
of Roger Eliot and the clever work 
of the “Sleuth,” Ben is falsely ac- 
cused, championed and vindicated. 

BOYS OF OAKDALE 

ACADEMY. 

“One thing I will claim, and that 
is that all Grants fight open and 
square and there never was a sneak among them.” It was 
Rodney Grant, of Texas, who made the claim to his friend, 
Ben Stone, and this story shows how he proved the truth 
of this statement in the face of apparent evidence to the 
contrary. 



RIVAL PITCHERS OF OAKDALE. 

Baseball is the main theme of this interesting narrative, 
and that means not only clear and clever descriptions of 
thrilling games, but an intimate acquaintance with the 
members of the teams who played them. The Oakdale 
Boys were ambitious and loyal, and some were even dis- 
gruntled and jealous, but earnest, persistent work won out. 

OAKDALE BOYS IN CAMP. 

The typical vacation is the one that means much free- 
dom, little restriction, and immediate contact with “all out- 
doors.” These conditions prevailed in the summer camp of 
the Oakdale Boys and made it a scene of lively interest. 
THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY. 

The “Sleuth” scents a mystery! He “follows his nose.’^ 
The plot thickens! He makes deductions. There are 
surprises for the reader — and for the “Sleuth,” as well. 
NEW BOYS AT OAKDALE. 

A new element creeps into Oakdale with another year’s 
registration of students. The old and the new standards 
of conduct in and out of school meet, battle, and cause 
sweeping changes in the lives of several of the boys. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTJBST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 


BOY INVENTORS SERIES 

Stories of Skill and Ingenuity 

By RICHARD BONNER 

Cloth. Bound. Xllustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid 

THE BOY INVENTORS’ 

WIRELESS TELEGRAPH. 

Blest with natural curiosity, — 
sometimes called the instinct of in- 
vestigation, — favored with golden 
opportunity, and gifted with crea- 
tive ability, the Boy Inventors 
meet emergencies and contrive 
mechanical wonders that interest 
and convince the reader because 
they always “work” when put to 
the test. 

THE BOY INVENTORS’ VANISHING GUN. 

A thought, a belief, an experiment; discouragement, 
hope, effort and final success — this is the history of many 
an invention; a history in which excitement, competition, 
danger, despair and persistence figure. This merely sug- 
gests the circumstances which draw the daring Boy In- 
ventors into strange experiences and startling adventures, 
and which demonstrate the practical use of their vanish- 
ing gun. 

THE BOY INVENTORS’ DIVING TORPEDO BOAT. 

As in the previous stories of the Boy Inventors, new 
and interesting triumphs of mechanism are produced 
which become immediately valuable, and the stage for 
their proving and testing is again the water. On the 
surface and below it, the boys have jolly, contagious fun, 
and the story of their serious, purposeful inventions 
challenge the reader's deepest attention. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HURST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 



FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES 

Twentieth Century Athletic Stories 

By MATHEW M. COLTON. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60 c. per vol., postpail 

FRANK ARMSTRONG’S 

VACATION. 

How Frank’s summer experi- 
ence with his boy friends make* 
him into a sturdy young athlete 
through swimming, boating, and 
baseball contests, and a tramp 
through the Everglades, is the 
subject of this splendid story. 

FRANK ARMSTRONG 

AT QUEENS. 

We find among the jolly boys 
at Queen’s School, Frank, the student-athlete, Jimmy, the 
baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, the unconsciously-funny 
youth who furnishes comedy for every page that bears 
his name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival 
school teams are expertly described. 

FRANK ARMSTRONG’S SECOND TERM. 

The gymnasium, the track and the field make the back- 
ground for the stirring events of this volume, in which 
David, Jimmy, Lewis, the “Wee One” and the “Codfish” 
figure, while Frank “saves th" day.” 

FRANK ARMSTRONG, DROP KICKER. 

With the same persistent determination that won him 
success in swimming, running and baseball playing, Frank 
Armstrong acquired the art of “drop kicking,” and the 
Queen’s football team profits thereby. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTTRST & COMPANY - PubHshers - NEW YORK 




DREADNOUGHT ROYS SERIES 

Tales of the New Navy 

By CAPT. WILBUR LAWTON 
'Author of “BOY AVIATORS SERIES.” 

Cloth Bound, Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid 

THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS 
ON BATTLE PRACTICE. 

Especially interesting and timely 
is this book which introduces the 
reader with its heroes, Ned and Here, 
to the great ships of modern warfare 
and to the intimate life and surprising 
adventures of Uncle Sam’s sailors. 

THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS 
ABOARD A DESTROYER. 

In this story real dangers threaten 
and the boys’ patriotism is tested in 
a peculiar international tangle. The scene is laid on the 
South American coast. 

THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON A SUBMARINE. 

To the inventive genius — trade-school boy or mechanic— 
this story has special charm, perhaps, but to every reader its 
mystery and clever action are fascinating. 

THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON AERO SERVICE. 

Among the volunteers accepted for Areo Service are Ned 
and Here. Their perilous adventures are not confined to the 
air, however, although they make daring and notable flights 
in the name of the Government; nor are they always able 
to fly beyond the reach of their old “enemies,” who are also 
airmen. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HUEST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 




BUNGALOW BOYS SERIES 

LIVE STORIES OF OUTDOOR LIFE 

By DEXTER J. FORRESTER. 


Cloth Bonad. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid 

THE BUNGALOW BOYS. 

How the Bungalow Boys received 
their title and how they retained the 
right to it in spite of much opposition 
makes a lively narrative for lively boys. 

THE BUNGALOW BOYS MA- 
ROONED IN THE TROPICS. 

A real treasure hunt of the most 
thrilling kind, with a sunken Span- 
ish galleon as its object, makes a 
subject of intense interest at any 
time, but add to that a band of desperate men, a dark pl(^t 
and a devil fish, and you have the combination that brings 
strange adventures into the lives of the Bungalow Boys. 



THE BUNGALOW BOYS IN THE GREAT NORTH 
WEST. 

The clever assistance of a young detective saves the boys 
from the clutches of Chinese smugglers, of whose nefarious 
trade they know too much. How the Professor’s invention re- 
lieves a critical situation is also an exciting incident of this book. 

THE BUNGALOW BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES. 

The Bungalow Boys start out for a quiet cruise on the 
Great Lakes and a visit to an island. A storm and a band 
of wreckers interfere with the serenity of their trip, and a 
submarine adds zest and adventure to it. 


Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTTBST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YOEK 



MOTOR RANGERS SERIES 

HIGH SPEED MOTOR STORIES 

By MARVIN WEST. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid 

THE MOTOR RANGERS’ 
LOST MINE. 

This is an absorbing story of the 
continuous adventures of a motor 
car in the hands of Nat Trevor and 
his friends. It does seemingly im- 
possible “stunts,” and yet everything 
happens “in the nick of time.” 

THE MOTOR RANGERS 
THROUGH THE SIERRAS. 

Enemies in ambush, the peril of 
fire, and the guarding of treasure 
make exciting times for the Motor 
Rangers — yet there is a strong flavor of fun and freedom, 
with a typical Western mountaineer for spice. 

THE MOTOR RANGERS ON BLUE WATER; or, 

The Secret of the Derelict. 

The strange adventures of the sturdy craft “Nomad” and 
the stranger experiences of the Rangers themselves with 
Morello’s schooner and a mysterious derelict form the basis 
of this well-spun yarn of the sea. 

THE MOTOR RANGERS’ CLOUD CRUISER. 

From the “Nomad” to the “Efiscoverer,” from the sea to 
the sky, the scene changes in which the Motor Rangers figure. 
They have experiences “that never were on land or sea,” 
in heat and cold and storm, over mountain peak and lost 
city, with savages and reptiles; their ship of the air is at- 
tacked by huge birds of the air; they survive explosion and 
earthquake; they even live to tell the tale! 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTTEST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YOEK 



BORDER BOYS SERIES 

Mexican and Canadian Frontier Series 

By FREMONT B. DEERING. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid 

THE BORDER BOYS 

ON THE TRAIL. 

What it meant to make an enemy 
of Black Ramon De Barios — that is 
the problem that Jack Merrill and 
his friends, including Coyote Pete, 
face in this exciting tale. 

THE BORDER BOYS 

ACROSS THE FRONTIER. 

Read of the Haunted Mesa and its 
mysteries, of the Subterranean River 
_ and its strange uses, of the value of 

gasolene and steam ^‘in running the gauntlet,” and you will 
feel that not even the ancient splendors of the Old World 
can furnish a better setting for romantic action than the 
Border of the New. 

THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE MEXICAN 
RANGERS. 

'As every day is making history — faster, it is said, than 
ever before — so books that keep pace with the changes 
are full of rapid action and accurate facts. This book 
deals with lively times on the Mexican border. 

THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE TEXAS 
RANGERS. 

The Border Boys have already had much excitement 
and adventure in their lives, but all this has served to 
prepare them for the experiences related in this volume. 
They are stronger, braver and more resourceful than ever, 
and the exigencies of their life in connection with the 
Texas Rangers demand all their trained ability. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTJHST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YOBK 



BORDER-BOYSl 

ON‘THE-TRAIL 

FREMONTB-DEERINO 


MOTOR CYCLE SERIES 


Splendid Motor Cycle Stories 


By LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON. 

Author of “Boy Scout Series.*^ 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol,, postpaid 



THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS 

AROUND THE WORLD. 

Could Jules Verne have dreamed 
of encircling the globe with a motor 
cycle for emergencies he would have 
deemed it an achievement greater 
than any he describes in his account 
of the amusing travels of Philias 
Fogg. This, however, is the purpose 
successfully carried out by the Motor 
Cycle Chums, and the tale of their 
mishaps, hindrances and delays is 
one of intense interest, secret amuse- 
ment, and incidental information tQ 
the reader. 


THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS OF THE 
NORTHWEST PATROL. 

The Great Northwest is a section of vast possibilities 
and in it the Motor Cycle Chums meet adventures even 
more unusual and exciting than many of their experiences 
on their tour around the world. There is not a dull page 
in this lively narrative of clever boys and their attendant 
“Chinee.” 


THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS IN THE 
GOLD FIELDS. 

The gold fever which ran its rapid course through the 
veins of the historic “forty-niners” recurs at certain in- 
tervals, and seizes its victims with almost irresistible 
power. The search for gold is so fascinating to the 
seekers that hardship, danger and failure are obstacles 
that scarcely dampen their ardour. How the Motor Cycle 
Chums were caught by the lure of the gold and into what 
difficulties and novel experiences they were led, makes a 
tale of thrilling interest. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTTRST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 


HOLLY BROWN SERIES 

College Life Stories for Girls 

By NELL SPEED. 

ClotH Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60 c. per voL, postpaid 

MOLLY BROWN’S 

FRESHMAN DAYS. 

^ Would you like to admit to your 
circle of friends the most charming 
of college girls — the typical college 
girl for whom we are always look- 
ing but not always finding; the type 
that contains so many delightful 
characteristics, yet without un- 
pleasant perfection in any; the 
natural, unaffected, sweet-tempered 
girl, loved because she is lovable? 
Then seek an introduction to Molly 
Brown. You will find the baggage-master, the cook, the 
Professor of English Literature, and the College President 
in the same company. 

MOLLY BROWN’S SOPHMORE DAYS. 

What is more delightful than a re-union of college girls 
after the summer vacation? Certainly nothing that pre- 
cedes it in their experience — at least, if all class-mates 
are as happy together as the Wellington girls of this 
story. Among Molly’s interesting friends of the second 
year is a young Japanese girl, who ingratiates her "humbly” 
self into everybody’s affections speedily and permanently. 

MOLLY BROWN’S JUNIOR DAYS. 

Financial stumbling blocks are not the only things that 
hinder the ease and increase the strength of college girls. 
Their troubles and their triumphs are their own, often 
peculiar to their environment. How Wellington students 
meet the experiences outside the class-rooms is worth the 
doing, the telling and the reading. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HURST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 



MOTOR MAIDS SERIES 

Wholesome Stories of Adventure 


By KATHERINE STOKES. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per voL, postpaid 

THE MOTOR MAIDS’ 

SCHOOL DAYS. 


MOTORMAIDS’ 

SCHOOLDAYS 

KATHERINE STOKES 



Billie Campbell was just the type 
of a straightforward, athletic girl 
to be successful as a practical 
Motor Maid. She took her car, as 
she did her class-mates, to her 
heart, and many a grand good time 
did they have all together. The 
road over which she ran her 
red machine had many an unex- 
pected turning, — now it led her 
into peculiar danger; now into con- 
tact with strange travelers; and again into experiences 
by fire and water. But, best of all, “The Cornet’^ never 
failed its brave girl owner. 

THE MOTOR MAIDS BY PALM AND PINE. 


Wherever the Motor Maids went there were lively times, 
for these were companionable girls who looked upon the 
world as a vastly interesting place full of unique adven- 
tures — and so, of course, they found them. 

THE MOTOR MAIDS ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 

It is always interesting to travel, and it is wonderfully 
entertaining to see old scenes through fresh eyes. It is 
that privilege, therefore, that makes it worth while to join 
the Motor Maids in their first ’cross-country run. 

THE MOTOR MAIDS BY ROSE. SHAMROCK AND 
HEATHER. 

South and West had the Motor Maids motored, nor 
could their education by travel have been more wisely 
begun. But now a speaking acquaintance with their own 
country enriched their anticipation of an introduction to 
the British Isles. How they made their polite American 
bow and how they were received on the other side is a 
tale of interest and inspiration. 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 


HURST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK 


GIRL AVIATORS SERIES 

Clean Aviation Stories 

By MARGARET BURNHAM. 

Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per voL, postpaid 

THE GIRL AVIATORS AND 
THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP. 

Roy Prescott was fortunate in 
having a sister so clever and de- 
voted to him and his interests that 
they could share work and play 
with mutual pleasure and to mutual 
advantage. This proved especially 
true in relation to the manufacture 
and manipulation of their aero- 
plane, and Peggy w'on well de- 
served fame for her skill and good 
sense as an aviator. There were 
many stumbling-blocks in their terrestial path, but they 
soared above them all to ultimate success. 

THE GIRL AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS. 

That there is a peculiar fascination about aviation that 
wins and holds girl enthusiasts as well as boys is proved 
by this tale. On golden wings the girl aviators rose for 
many an exciting flight, and met strange and unexpected 
experiences. 

THE GIRL AVIATORS’ SKY CRUISE. 

To most girls a coaching or yachting trip is an adven- 
ture. How much more perilous an adventure a “sky 
cruise” might be is suggested by the title and proved by 
the story itself. 

THE GIRL AVIATORS’ MOTOR BUTTERFLY. 

The delicacy of flight suggested by the word “butterfly,” 
the mechanical power implied by “motor,” the abiltity to 
control assured in the title “aviator,” all combined with 
the personality and enthusiasm of girls themselves, make 
this story one for any girl or other reader “to go crazy 
over.” 

Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. 

HTJRST & COMPANY . Publishers - NEW YORK 


•GIRL AVIATORS 

AND THE 

PHANTOM AIRSHIP 

* MARGARET BUBNHAM ' 



Log Cabin to WhHt 
House Series 

A famous series of books, 
formerly sold at $2.00 per 
copy, are now popularized 
by reducing the price less 
than half. The lives of these 
famous Americans are worthy 
of a place in any library. A 
new book by Edward S. Ellis 
— “From Ranch to White House” — is a life of 
Theodore Roosevelt, while the author of the 
others, William M. Thayer, is a celebrated 
biographer. 

FROM RANCH TO WHITE HOUSE ; Life of Theodore Roosevelt. 
FROM BOYHOOD TO MANHOOD; Life of Benjamin Franklin. 
FROM FARM HOUSE TO WHITE HOUSE; Life of George 
Washington. 

FROM LOG CABIN TO WHITE HOUSE; Life of James A. 
Garfield. 

FROM PIONEER HOME TO WHITE HOUSE; Life of Abrahaok 
Lincoln. 

FROM TANNERY TO WHITE HOUSE ; Life of Ulysses S. Grant* 
SUCCESS AND ITS ACHIEVERS. 

TACT, PUSH AND PRINCIPLE. 

These titles, though by different authors, also 
belong to this series of books: 

FROM COTTAGE TO CASTLE • The Story of Gutenberg, Invent* 
®r of Printing. By Mrs. E. C. Pearson. 

CAPITAL FOR WORKING BOYS. By Mrs. Julia E. M’Conaughy. 

Price, postpaid, for any of the above ten 
books, 75c. 

A complete catalogue sent for the asking. 

HURST & CO. Publishers. NEW YORK 




Oliver Optic 
SooKs 


Few boys are alive to-day 
who have not read some of 
the writings of this famous 
author, whose books are 
scattered broadcast and 
eagerly sought for. Oliver 
Optic has the faculty of writing books full of 
dash and energy, such as healthy boys want 
and need. 


ALL ABOARD; or. Life o!i the J^nke. 

BOAT CLUB; or, The Buuk^rs of Kippleton. 

BRAVE OLD JSALT; or, Life on the Quarter Deck. 

DO SOMETHINGS; a Story for Little Folks. 

FIGHTING JOE; or, The Fortunes of a Staff Officer. 

IN SCHOOL AND OUT; or, The Conquest of Richard 
Grant. 

LITTLE BY LITTLE; or, The Cruise of the Flyaway. 
LITTLE MERCHANT; a Story for Little Folks. 

NOW OR NEVER; or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright. 
POOR AND PROUD; or, The Fortunes of Katie Red- 
burn. 

PROUD AND LAZY; a Story for Little Folks. 

RICH AND HUMBLE; or. The Mission of Bertha Grant. 
SAILOR BOY ; or. Jack Somers in the Navy. 

SOLDIER BOY ; or, Tom Somers in the Army. 

TRY AGAIN; or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry 
West. 

WATCH AND WAIT; or. The Young Fugitives. 

WORK AND WIN; or^Noddy Newman on a Cruise. 

THE YANKEE MIDDY ; or, The Adventures of a Naval 
Officer. 

YOUNG LIEUTENANT; or, The Adventures of an 
Army Officer. ^ [ 


Any of tRese books will be mailed, postpaid, 
upon receipt of 50c, 

Get our complete catalogue— sent anywhere. 

HURST & CO., Publishers, NEW YORK 



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